


Five Minutes to Midnight

by NorthernWolf



Category: Lost
Genre: F/M, Gen, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-17
Updated: 2018-05-23
Packaged: 2019-03-20 10:32:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 64,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13715826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NorthernWolf/pseuds/NorthernWolf
Summary: Post Season 5.“Oh good, Dr. Do-Right is up,” Aaron winced as Sawyer rounded the corner of the living room clad in a red and white plaid button down shirt and jeans. His hands were stuffed loosely in his pockets.“Mornin’,” Aaron tried to redirect. “Hopefully, the den was comfortable enough?”“It was fine, thanks, Doc. You introduce yourself to Jackass yet?”“We’re….working on it.” Aaron said slowly.Jack was still sitting in stunned silence.“The bomb detonated. Juliet, Sawyer, you and I ended up in 2040 where Aaron found us.” Kate tried to explain.Jack nodded and swallowed again, ignoring Aaron for the time being. One thing at a time. His brain was sluggish and he was having trouble processing that the little boy that he abandoned was standing right in front of him.“Juliet’s ok?” He asked hopefully after a long moment of consideration.“She’s in the f***ing ICU because of you, Jackass!” Sawyer snarled and looked as though he was getting ready to charge the man.“Sawyer…I…” Jack’s voiced cracked. His words had turned Jack’s blood to ice. “….oh god…”Sawyer took a swing at him before he could react.“Sawyer!” Kate screamed.





	1. The Incident

**Five Minutes to Midnight**

**ONE: The Incident**

"You really wanna go fer round two, Doc Twinkle-toes?" Jay LaFleur teased over the thrumming pulse of the band. His lips curved steadily upward, flashing a dimpled grin as the man in front of him struggled to adjust his footing in time with the music.

Aaron jerked his head up, squinting as the beat changed and the lights dimmed. Five minutes to midnight and the smell of booze and thick perfume hung heavy in the air. He frowned as though just catching on to the jeer.

"You think I can't dance?" He breathed letting his tongue scrape along his dry lips.

"If ya can, ya sure as hell haven't managed it yet." Jay smirked. His head was tilted in such a way that the flush of perhaps one too many Amstel Light's crept up the side of his neck. The effect wasn't enough to make his words stick together, but his hands shook slightly as he wobbled toward the other man with his best Cheshire cat grin.

"Well, at least I'm doing better than that guy." Aaron retorted, pointing into the heart of the dance floor where one of the older x-ray techs was trying to coerce the gathering crowd into doing the Macarena.

"Damn." Jay shook his scruffy blonde hair out of his eyes and snorted loudly. "Thought that went out with the Stone Age."

Aaron nodded appreciatively as he tugged at the collar of his tuxedo, undoing the bow tie so that it hung limply across his neck. He was hot and itchy enough as it was.

"So where's your girl?" Jay changed the subject, noticing for the first time that Aaron, like himself, was alone.

"Oh, she went to check up on Caitlyn, she's been hounding the babysitter all night." He rolled his eyes and accepted a tall glass of Laurent-Perrier from a server as they passed.

"You know how she is."

"Excuse me. Could I have your attention everyone?" A wary voice cut through the air as the music dulled. A gray haired man in his mid-sixties shuffled onto the stage. Marc Silverman beamed down at the restless gathering of St. Sebastian's Hospital employees and their spouses.

"I just wanted to interrupt for a few moments to..." The retired emergency physician winced as the microphone squawked. The sound startled those who had been standing near the speakers that hung around the ballroom of the Lynford Hotel.

"Right, well, as I was saying I just wanted to thank all of you for coming out here tonight to celebrate St. Sebastian's 20th annual Gala on this wonderful New Year's Eve." His voice slowly teetered off addressing all the wonderful things that the hospital had accomplished over the past twelve months.

Aaron yawned, sipping at the bubbly drink in his hand and thoroughly enjoying the way the strong liquid made his lips pucker. The alcohol made him feel sated and content as he made his rounds across the ballroom, admiring the decor and making small talk with those he knew. He sighed deeply, letting his eyes drift shut to allow the sensation of mild inebriation to wash over him. Tomorrow, the most strenuous thing he would have to do was cook a turkey with his wife and spend some quality time with his family. The thought made his heart swell.

The clicking of heels on the polished floor shook him from his tired reverie. He turned his head, glancing over his shoulder.

"Hey." His face lit up, eyes wandering over the sleek black cocktail dress she had hurriedly slipped into.

"He's been going nuts without you, you know."

Dr. Claire Shephard rolled her eyes and regarded her cousin with a serious, considering look. Her curly brown hair appeared slightly out of place from being pinned up in a surgical cap since mid-morning, she swat at it with her left hand, doing her best to arrange the stray curls behind her ears.

"Sorry, surgery ran late. Six car pileup on the interstate. Who did you bribe to get the night off anyway?"

"It's called seniority." He smiled. "And I put in for it last January first after I worked straight through Christmas _and_ New Year's. Ellie was _not_ a happy camper."

"I remember that. Didn't she make you sleep in the den for a week?" Claire smiled at him, but wasn't entirely focused on the conversation. Her pale green eyes drifted toward the heart of the crowd.

"More like a month." Aaron groaned and leaned over to give her a quick peck on the cheek in greeting. "I had a hard enough time explaining to Caitlyn why daddy was 'playing camp out' in the basement." His eyes caught what she was looking for. "Jay's over by the bar," he explained knowingly. "Don't worry, I think he might still be sober enough to get a decent dance out of."

"He'd better," Claire smirked before she sauntered off in Jay's direction.

The music dulled for a moment as Marc Silverman announced that it was 'three minutes to midnight' as he cued the band to take them in to one last song before the countdown.

"Did I miss anything?"

Aaron felt a slender hand slip into his. Their fingers interlocked and he spun around, pulling her against him in such that a way that he could slip his arms around her waist and rest his head on her shoulder. "Just Claire wondering if Jay's gonna actually remember New Year's in the morning. How's our girl doing?"

Ellie sighed, settling into her husband's embrace."Fell asleep about an hour ago. Insisted on trying to wait up to 'see the New Year'." Her deep purple evening gown flowed down over her stilettos as Aaron guided her toward the dance floor. She could feel him grin into the crook of her neck.

"See the New Year huh? I used to try to do that when I was her age. Never quite made it until I was eight."

"What did you see?" Ellie reached up to re-tie his bowtie.

He ran his hand under the stubbled ridge of his jaw thoughtfully.

"Not a damn thing. My neighbors weren't really all that in to fireworks so I didn't even get to see that much. After that I started considering the whole thing a big waste of time. Nothing special about it in the slightest."

"Of course there is," she corrected him, letting him tuck a stray strand of dark hair behind her ear. "It marks the dawn of something new and exciting. Good friends and second chances. Auld Lang Syne."

"And turkey with a hyperactive six year old?" He asked playfully.

"That too," she agreed. "Especially when her dad doesn't have to spend it in the hospital."

"Not even turning on my iphone," he agreed. "So you have no worries about that."

"Hey Doc, gonna ramp it up a bit or what?" Jay interrupted the slow rhythm their bodies had created with the music, emitting an exuberant shout as he bobbed his head.

"You're bordering on being worse than Macarena guy, LaFleur. Maybe you should find him some coffee, Claire." Aaron did his best to suppress a grin as he craned his neck toward her.

Claire, meanwhile, had removed her phone from her purse and proceeded to film the odd, uncoordinated movements Jay was making to the slow music.

"I could, but I'd rather give him something to watch at dinner tomorrow night."

"As long as he keeps it G rated," Ellie interjected, snickering. "Wow, I've never seen him this..."

"Drunk?" Aaron offered bluntly. "Neither have I. All the better to rub it in later."

"Alright, everyone." Marc cut in over the music which was dying fast. "Looks like we're on our last 30 seconds of 2039!" A screen lit up behind him flashing a huge 30 in thick black script. 29...28...27...

"Guess this is it." Aaron glanced out the window. It was a beautiful, clear night. Hopefully there would be fireworks.

"Getting all excited for 'nothing special' again?" Ellie teased.

...16...15...14...

"Oh I'm excited for something," he spoke in a way that made his eyes twinkle.

...12...11...10...

"And what might that be, Dr. Austen?" She smirked.

The numbers on the screen turned to red. ...9...8...7...

"You still with me, Jay?" Claire chided him as she settled into his unsuspecting arms.

...6...5...4...

"Missed you," Jay admitted with a goofy drunken grin. Somehow she knew his words meant far more than he was letting on.

...3...2...1...HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The band burst into a course of Auld Lang Syne, fireworks cracked in the distance and a brilliant white flash filled the whole of the Lynford ball room. The surge was enough to cut the power and suddenly everything was happening at once. The music died, someone cried out, someone else reset the breaker and the room was bathed in caustic fluorescent light.

"What the..." Aaron blinked pulling out of the kiss he was sharing with Ellie. "Was that lightening?"

"I don't know, but it tripped the power." Claire said, striding up to them with Jay in tow.

"You did say that nothing ever exciting..." Ellie started.

"Not exactly what I had in mind," he cut her off. "Even as a kid."

"Help! I need help!" A voice hollered in the distance. That was easy enough, there was literally a room full of St. Sebastian's finest standing right there, but everyone was so preoccupied that Aaron was the only one who was paying enough attention to notice.

He glanced toward the lobby.

"Stay here," he whispered to Ellie who nodded as he broke off into a run.

"What's going on?" He asked, squinting as he emerged into the brightly light foyer. The harsh fluorescent lights reflected against the slate tiles, momentarily blinding him as he struggled to get his bearings. He drew in several shallow breaths feeling winded and a little drunk, but he forced himself to focus on the Lynford employee who had started to scream again.

Aaron pressed a gentle hand against her shoulder. She gasped when she saw him, rambling something in a language he couldn't quite recognize.

"I'm a doctor, can I help you?" he spoke slowly, feigning his best at patience.

The older lady trembled and pointed. He followed her shaking fingers, not noticing the splatter of blood on her uniform. The stain on the floor however, was impossible to miss.

His breath caught in his throat as he took a hesitant step forward, eyebrows knitting together in disbelief. It was impossible, but there it was, four bodies, tossed in an undignified heap in the lobby of the Lynford Hotel.

His knees felt watery as he pushed himself to take that final step forward.

"They just...appeared...out of..." she babbled in broken English, her bottom lip trembling in such a way that it threatened to form a permanent crease across her cheeks.

"Hey, it's alright. I..." his mouth closed and he glanced at the bodies again. Was it really? People didn't usually just pop out of thin air, especially not these people. Aaron's eyes narrowed as he surveyed the scene in front of him. There was blood everywhere...this had to be some kind of...

"Hey Doc, Rockstar in there is getn' ready to...what the fuck?" He turned, meeting Jay's stormy blue eyes with a hard look.

"I don't know." Aaron croaked. "Just get Claire, there's blood and lots of it." He shrugged out of his tuxedo jacket and tossed it onto the polished floor.

"Jay!" he frowned, craning his neck to catch the other man's stunned gaze. He was still trying to shake the feeling himself.

"Get Sparks, right." Jay nodded, tearing his eyes away long enough to force himself to turn around and retreat back toward the main ballroom. He froze again a second later and glanced over his shoulder. His scruffy blonde hair was cut so it hung just above his collar making the back of his neck prickle with unease.

"Ma?" he mouthed dumbly, his voice so low it could barely be considered a sound at all.

"Jay, get Claire! We have to help them." Aaron erupted, his knees buckled against the hard floor as he bent for a closer look. Thankfully, with eleven years of medical training under his belt the rest came without thought.

"Hey, hey. Are you alright? I'm a doctor." He crouched over Juliet, mumbling as if on autopilot. It was a stupid question but he needed to establish some level of consciousness. His body moved on its own accord without too much instruction from his brain, which was still deadened with shock.

"Juliet?" Aaron pressed against her breastbone with a large knuckled fist. She moaned in pain as he rotated it slightly, rocking it back and forth on the flat plane of her chest in an attempt to rouse her. He hadn't looked at the others yet, but he prayed to god they weren't in as bad a shape as she was. There was blood everywhere.

"Come on," he breathed, feeling her fingers jump against the hand that was trying to take her pulse. He bit his lip and pinched the large muscle curving into her shoulder blade, electing a louder yelp of protest. She was responding to pain.

"Okay. That's good. We're gonna get you some help." He stammered, doubting she was actually alert enough to hear what he was saying. He kept talking to her anyway, stopping only long enough to coax the terrified hotel employee into fetching him the large first-aid kit that was hanging on the wall behind the reception desk.

She was bleeding internally; Aaron grimily noted the mottled bruising pattern stretching across her abdomen as he cut away her muddy, blood-soaked shirt, exposing her from neck to waist. Her cracked ribs offered no resistance as he ran his hands down her side, palpating her abdomen and frowning as her fingers curled. He gently slid his hands lower to check her pelvis when something crashed into him ―hard.

"GET THE HELL AWAY FROM HER!" Sawyer screamed. Awake and wide-eyed he knocked Aaron headlong onto the hard tile using the full force of his body. His nostrils flared, the raw force of the blow making him gasp and drive his fist deeper into Aaron's stomach in recoil. The younger man winced feeling his throat constrict from the intensity of the pain.

Sawyer snarled using his weight to press the young doctor harder against the floor. "What the fuck are you doing to her?" He spat, his eyes dead with an uncontrollable rage.

"Aaron!" Someone cried and the next thing Aaron knew the larger man was being pulled off of him by Jay who was grunting and manhandling the stranger through the large glass lobby doors into the crisp January night.

"Hell yeah!" Jay let the rush of adrenaline course though his body, overriding the depressive effects of the alcohol he had consumed in the past few hours. Sawyer's thrashing body bucked against him in a motion of pure fury, doing everything could to evade the solid form that was forcing him back further still until he collided with the abrasive brick exterior of the building.

Sawyer's eyes glowed with a rage that his body wasn't quite able to sustain. He was pinned and everything was fuzzy as though he brain could not work through what was going on…he just needed to get to Juliet.

"Juliet." He let out a mournful whimper that almost sounded inhuman. It made Jay startle and ease off slightly, watching the man pitch forward, knees buckling as the will to fight evaporated from him into the chilly January air.

"Hey." He pulled the man back up, bracing him between the wall and his own body. Jay ran his hands along the tattered jumpsuit, memorizing how it felt, how it made him feel; just as grubby as the other man looked. His face was riddled with cuts and bruises, some far worse than others. Sawyer breathed heavily, starting to shiver as he no longer possessed the stamina to think and remain vertical at the same time.

The tiny shift in his position was enough to make Jay's expression harden as it exposed the crumpled stitching of the man's chest pocket into the silver moonlight.

'LaFleur. Head of Security.'

"Son of a bitch," he huffed, bracing himself on either side of his... Dad.

In a way it confirmed what his gut was already telling him, but the realization made it no less bizarre. That was the only way he could describe it _bizarre_. He stared ahead, fixing his tired eyes into his Father's glassy blue ones only to be met with an unfocused gaze.

"If I let you up, you gonna keep it cool?" He grunted in his most threatening authoritative voice. As a senior field agent for the Los Angeles Counterintelligence Division of the FBI Jay LaFleur was well used to using intimidation to accomplish what needed to be done, but tonight he was just a man, a man trying to spend a quiet New Year's Eve in the company of his fiancé and some good friends.

Fireworks cracked in the distance resulting in a high pitched screech as red and gold sparks zigzagged through the sky before bursting with a loud pop. Like a million tiny bombs raining over them they exploded into whirls of brilliant color. Variations of blues and greens and purples, yellows, oranges, and silver all illuminating the skyline in a subdued glow.

The more pronounced the sounds became the more Sawyer shook. To him it may as well have been a bomb...over and over as he watched her fall in his mind's eye. Over and over that terrified look burned straight through to his bones. How could he have ever let go? He killed her.

Jay fixed him with a critical stare, recognizing the signs of shock almost immediately. He wasn't shivering from the cold. His body was shutting down; trapped in the world his mind was creating for him and filtering out everything else completely.

"You ain't gonna talk to me huh?" He tried to keep his tone light despite the circumstances. The first-aid training he did have, rather that which he had bothered to pay attention to, told him that he had to do something to rectify the situation. 'Critical intervention' the damn textbook had called it back at the academy. Relax the body and the mind will follow. Sighing, he slipped out of his tuxedo jacket and slid it over the other man's shoulders, thankful that LaFleur was about as pliable as a rag doll. Right now the best he could do was focus on what he could treat. He could get the man somewhere warm and hope one of the two docs would be around to snap him out of it.

"Juliet." Sawyer breathed again as his head swung from side to side, searching for her in the darkness.

"She's in good hands, Chief." Jay assured, barely keeping his own voice from cracking. The pleasant woozy feeling brought about by the alcohol was starting to return at full force and it took all of his concentration to lead the other man, by the elbow, down the walkway and across the parking lot to Aaron's spacious Cadillac SUV.

The crisp white dress shirt he had been wearing all evening was now bloody and the top button that did up his collar was missing. The fourth one down snapped off as he half guided, half carried his Father into the passenger side of the vehicle.

"That's better, ain't it?" He asked, as he redirected the heating vents and propped the man up against the window just as an ambulance tore around the corner, lights and sirens blazing.

* * *

Inside the Lynford Hotel, Aaron lay flat on his back waiting for the paralyzing pain in his chest to subside. He let the air rush into his lungs and willed himself to force the pain to the back of his mind.

"Aaron, what..." Claire was staring down at him, her hands gently probing his chest.

"I don't know," He wheezed, biting back a stuttering breath as he sat up. "There was a scream and they just appeared here."

Ellie did her best to mask the look of worry on her face as she helped her husband to his feet.

"That was..." she paused, glancing toward the main doors where Jay had promptly exited.

"His Dad." Aaron conformed, following her gaze. His expression hardened. "Juliet's in rough shape. Possible C-Spine. Your ballgame, Claire. An ambulance has already been called. Jack and Kate are out, but seem fine from what I can tell they... "

"Stop!" Dr. Claire Shephard had turned several shades whiter. "You're talking about them like they're actually here."

"They are." Aaron straightened, glancing at Juliet with renewed urgency. "I don't understand this either," he sighed, too full of adrenaline to let himself doubt the situation. "We'll get to the bottom of this, but right now we've got to help them."

She gave him an apprehensive nod, settling on the floor to examine Juliet's head and neck while Aaron shifted over to where Jack and Kate were still lying oblivious.

"Jack likely has a concussion, but that's about it." He announced, suddenly thankful that the band had resumed playing and no one else had bothered to leave the main ballroom.

"Kate's just unconscious." His head turned in the direction of the music.

"Ellie, can you pass me my jacket?" Aaron pointed to a spot on the floor as he started to maneuver Jack out of the blood soaked coveralls.

"What are you doing?" She wearily deposited the garment in his lap.

Aaron glanced up at her.

"Hold him up." He said in his most clinical tone, transferring Jack's weight against Ellie's crouching form.

"Can't explain this," he offered and started to work Jack's arms though the coat now that he had been stripped down to a faded blue t-shirt and a pair of jeans. "So we'll just say they had a little too much to drink."

"Aaron, her injuries wouldn't even come close to fitting in with that." Claire asserted in a shaky voice.

"She needs surgery. We'll come up with something..." he assured, but stopped talking at the sight of the two paramedics wheeling a stretcher in through the wide glass entrance way.

"Hey, Dr. A. What have ya got for us?" The older of the two waved.

Aaron tilted his head in recognition. "Good to see you, Mike. Suspected C-Spine after a fall, responsive to pain only with a flail chest and a possible ruptured spleen. Definite internal bleeding. Get her collared up on a spinal and get some fluids running along with oxygen by BVM at a flow rate of 15 LPM to try and get her O2 saturation up. She needs to be intubated, but I don't want to do it out here if I don't have to."

Mike, a slightly balding, portly man nodded, sending his partner back to the ambulance to fetch an oxygen tank and a spine board while Aaron helped hook up a small, pocket-sized monitor to her chest.

"This is Dr. Claire Shephard. Spinal surgeon." He motioned to his cousin. "She's gonna be calling the shots on this one tonight."

Claire shot him a lethal look.

"I've been drinking." Aaron explained calmly.

"I know this is hard, but I need you to do this for Jay, Claire." He told her gently. "You got this."

"Alright." She agreed, giving Juliet an apprehensive once over as Aaron and the two paramedics worked on rolling her onto the spinal board which was then lifted onto a stretcher. She took a deep, shaky breath and gripped one of the metal rails on the stretcher, nodding to the shorter of the two paramedics. He appeared to shrug off her apprehension.

"St. Sebastian's?" he asked.

"Yes. Call ahead and tell them we need the OR prepped and a surgical team standing by."

Her heart started to slow as the glass doors opened and they guided the stretcher into the cool January night.

Aaron watched them leave with a puzzled expression that he didn't seem to leave his face as he turned back to his wife, glancing briefly at the two bodies that still lay crumpled at his feet.

"Help me get'em up," he said, frowning. It occurred to him at that moment that the night couldn't possibly get any stranger.


	2. Dr. Aaron Austen

**Five Minutes to Midnight**

**TWO: Dr. Aaron Austen**

"Juliet." He extended his hand to reach for her. Something kept pushing him back, forming a barrier, preventing him from getting to her. He could hear her screaming; begging him. He had to get to her, but his hand kept coming up against an invisible surface. He pounded on it, screaming back at her.

"Juliet!"

Her hands were slipping…he had to break through…he had to save her.

"Son of a bitch!" Jay propelled himself forward in the driver's seat to grab Sawyer before he put himself through the windshield.

"What are ya tryin' to do?" He hissed.

Sawyer responded badly to being restrained and Jay had to concentrate all his efforts on not getting clocked in the jaw.

"Just calm down," he asserted in what he hoped was a soothing tone as he twisted around in his seat, jarring the heating vents in the process. "She's gonna be okay, hell, she has to be okay in order for us to be having this conversation."

He balanced against the console as he caught his breath, pressing most of his weight into the other man's chest to keep him from falling forward. The close proximity appeared to keep him still for the moment, but his eyes were still roaming tirelessly around the vehicle in the same jerky motion that often accompanied dreaming. More like a nightmare in his case.

"Gotta relax now." Jay told him and maneuvered the seatbelt across his chest, strapping the man in. "This is for your own good."

The restriction only upset him more and he started to thrash wildly, seeming to gasp for breath as he struggled to free himself.

"You son of a bitch, I got to get to her!" Sawyer erupted, spitting in Jay's direction. His eyes seemed to glow with an animalistic rage that disoriented him further. Jay bit his lip, but remained braced so that most of his weight was distributed across the passenger seat, forming a human barrier between Sawyer and the window. His hip bumped against the display, turning on the radio. Sawyer lurched only to bring up solid when the seatbelt locked against his chest.

"Fuck!" Jay hissed and raised his arms, leaning further into the seat. He was thankful when Aaron appeared in the rear-view mirror toting something lopsided and heavy over one shoulder.

"Claire's gone in the ambulance with Juliet," he said as he opened the side door. "We seem to have her stabilized for now, but she's got a long surgery ahead of her."

"Yeah?" Jay asked in a strained voice.

Aaron blinked, glancing up from where he was arranging Jack on the back seat. His eyes flicked over the scene, Jay facing him, his chest smack against Sawyer's as he practically sat on the man's lap, straddling him.

"What are you…" he paused, not sure how to continue.

Jay scowled at him. "Tryin' ta keep him from going through the god damn window," he breathed.

Aaron nodded absently. "Think you can go back and help Ellie with Kate?"

"If you can deal with Rambo here." Jay scowled. "His face is all bleedin'" He added in as an afterthought.

"I'll try to talk to him, give me a sec." Aaron crawled across the back seat next to Jack, whose head had lolled against the window. Even in the dull light he could see where a purple cast was starting to colour his temple. He touched it gingerly, watching the man's jaw clench in response. Sighing, he reached over the man's shoulder to pull the seatbelt across his chest. Jack barely stirred.

"I'm coming, Juliet!"

Aaron grimaced at the sound of shuffling.

"Ain't ya got something you can knock him out with or something?" Jay whined from the front.

"Not on me." Aaron slid out of the vehicle and shut the door. He appeared, a moment later, in the driver's seat that Jay had vacated. "Have you tried talking to him?"

"Oh yeah, before you got here we were haven' a real deep conversation about our feelings and shit. You a god damn shrink now?" Jay shot back, but he wasn't quite finished. "What the hell do ya want me ta do ask him? He's out of his god damn mind, I don't see how chatin' it up about this year's top 40 is really gonna help much."

"You always this lippy when you're drunk?" Aaron ground out in a voice that was lost over some new age rendition of Silver Bells, which was flooding the small space around them. He jabbed at the touch panel to turn off the radio and eyed Sawyer hesitantly.

"Get Kate." He instructed. "I got this."

"Whatever you say, Doc. No need to get yer stethoscope in a knot." Jay shot him a venomous look, but crawled across the console to exit through the back. The slamming of the door seemed to jar Sawyer and cause Jack to mutter something in his sleep. Aaron winced.

"Juliet's gonna be fine, James." Aaron tried a different tactic. He kept his voice low and calm as he reached over to squeeze the man's shoulder.

"Juliet…gotta help her…" he trailed off, his eyes watering as the tears started to flow freely down his face. Aaron could see them glinting in the dull overhead lights.

"Yes, Juliet," he soothed, pronouncing her name slowly and carefully, talking the man down as though he were a frightened child. "You helped her."

His actions seemed to earn him a small head movement, enough to reveal the smear of blood arcing down the man's neck.

"She's falling…" he muttered again. He tried to say something else, but it came out as a weak groan.

"No. You saved her. You got her to safety and now you need to let us take it from here." Aaron assured. "She's on her way to the hospital right now."

Sawyer's brow furrowed. There weren't any hospitals on the island…must be the infirmary. He turned his head in the direction of the voice, but it was pounding to the point he couldn't quite see straight. The world around him was a vortex of colour and sound. He could feel his own pulse throbbing in his throat, keeping time with the rhythmic swirl of his surroundings.

Someone was talking to him, telling him something important about Juliet, but he was just so tired that he couldn't puzzle it together. _Safe_. He heard the word safe.

"Safe?" he slurred; it tumbled out of him in a desperate, forced breath.

"Yeah," Aaron agreed. "Juliet is _safe_ ," he emphasized, hoping to god it was true.

"But," he added, "She needs you to rest now so that you can see her when she's feeling better."

Sawyer seemed to agree with the prompting.

"…fuckin' tired…" He sighed in a strained voice. He was so tired that his eyes were threatening to close at any moment. His earlier burst of adrenaline had started to burn out of him and Aaron could tell that he was finally beginning to succumb to the hazy buzz of exertion.

"I know you are. Just close your eyes for a little bit," he soothed. "You'll feel better if you rest."

"Thanks, Doc." He mumbled sleepily and pressed his head against the passenger door window. The cool glass felt good against his skin, easing the throb that had started to resonate down his jaw. He did need to rest, he thought hazily. He didn't want to, but he was so damn tired.

Aaron didn't have time to assess as to whether the man had fallen completely asleep. He caught sight of Ellie and quickly vacated the driver's seat.

"I don't think anyone saw us," she said as she trotted up to him. Jay was behind her with an unconscious Kate held against his chest.

"Macarena guy started karaoke," Jay explained blandly as he reached them. "Congrats, Doc, most of yer colleagues are tone deaf."

Aaron and Ellie exchanged glances as Jay shifted Kate his arms. Her head lolled against his shoulder.

"Sawyer?" she whispered, frowning, although her eyes never opened.

Jay ignored her.

Ellie leaned into Aaron.

"Is he alright?" She breathed.

He sighed. "He's in shock El, so he's dealing with it in the best way he knows how."

"By being a pompous ass?" she added helpfully.

"Nah," Aaron waved her off, grinning slightly. "He's always been one of those. He just needs time to sober up and process all of this…you know it has to be rough when…"

"Something on that pavement must be _real_ interesting," Jay interrupted their huddle. Aaron shook his head and plodded over to where the man was awkwardly trying to fit Kate in the back.

"Give her to me," he suggested, scooting in beside Jack. "We're a little pressed for space here."

Kate whimpered as she was transferred into Aaron's lap. He brushed his hand against her forehead, relieved that she appeared to be unscathed.

"Now you, Jay." He patted the spot beside him.

"Great," Jay huffed, folding himself in and pulling the door shut. "Happy Fucking New Year, Doc," he grumbled just loud enough for only Aaron to hear as Ellie started the ignition. He chose to ignore the comment. The radio buzzed on again, but nobody seemed to stir, Ellie quickly turned down the volume and switched it to another station.

"You guys OK back there?" she asked as she pulled out of the parking space.

"A little cramped, but we'll manage." Aaron said, adjusting Kate so that she was partially sprawled across Jack's lap, neither of them appeared to be in any state to complain about the current seating arrangement. He wanted the extra room for leverage in case James woke up again and needed to be talked down.

It was an eventless twenty minutes before they pulled into Aaron's the driveway, marked by the giant inflatable polar bear anchored in the middle of his lawn with a wreath around its neck and a Santa hat draped over one ear. In the background his house glowed under the cheerful colours of Christmas lights which traced a crude outline of the large two story.

It was Aaron's idea to wait until Ellie had walked Lindsey, the babysitter, to her car before they dared attempt to move anyone.

Jack and Kate hadn't shifted a muscle and Jay had started to doze without quite realizing he was tired. Aaron had watched his head wobble a little too loosely whenever they had hit a bump and he could tell by the slump in his shoulders that the man was fighting sleep with all he had and losing miserably. The combination of alcohol and adrenaline in his system appeared to have finally worn him out. Aaron was also feeling somewhat woozy, but straightened up when Ellie opened the side door for them and the night air hit him.

"Lindsey's gone home and Caitlyn's in bed," she whispered, leaning in over Jay.

He nodded back at her. "Good, at least it'll make…" he paused "whatever this is, easier."

"So how are we gonna do this?" she asked.

Aaron rubbed his forehead. "I guess we can put Jack and Kate in the upstairs bedroom and James on the couch until we make up the pull-out downstairs for him?"

"Yeah, that'll work," she agreed.

"It'll have to, until we figure out what the hell is going on," he said coolly in a tone that he rarely took with her.

"Can you grab the med-kit in the bedroom closet while Jay and I move them?"

Aaron nudged the man lightly with his elbow.

"Think you can manage to bring Kate inside without puking?" he grinned.

Jay gazed back unpleasantly, but didn't complain as Aaron gently bundled the women into his arms. Jack wasn't as easy to shift and hung against his body like a lead weight as he half carried, half dragged the man up the two sets of stairs as quietly as possible.

"Caitlyn's asleep," he mouthed to Jay and gestured to the adjacent room once they reached the top of the landing. "We'll have to keep it down."

He nudged the door to the spare room open with his knee, thankful that Ellie had already managed to turn down the bed covers and switch on the lamps on the night-tables. He lowered Jack against the mattress and Jay set Kate down next to him.

"Alright, that's good." Aaron praised. "They don't look too badly hurt. You mind stripping Jack down and checking him for injuries while I go get your da…James?" he covered quickly.

"Hell, Doc, you want me to buy him dinner first?" Jay pretended not to hear the slip and grudgingly began to remove the man's shoes.

Aaron rolled his eyes and warily plodded his way back outside noting, as he walked down his driveway, that James hadn't appeared to have moved from where they had left him in the front seat.

He could still fireworks going off in the distance as he opened the passenger side door and gazed across the street. They were lighting up the horizon in hues of fuzzy colour. The cul-de-sac he was living on appeared to be deserted stave for Milo, Mrs. Reynolds's cat who was sprawled unconcerned across her doormat.

"Alright, James." he lightly touched the man's arm, steading him as he threatened to fall out the door. "How about we head inside and get you a little more comfortable?"

They managed to stand without too much effort before James began to wobble. Aaron slug the man's arm around his neck for good measure. It was only a short walk up the drive before they stumbled into the porch. Aaron didn't bother taking off his shoes, instead leading the man straight through the kitchen, which opened unobstructed into his living room. He helped him settle on the overstuffed couch facing the TV.

Sawyer groaned the second his head hit the soft leather.

"James," Aaron prodded, settling on the coffee table so that he was facing the man. He had a face cloth balled up in his right hand.

"Juliet's safe?" the man mumbled back at him his eyelids twitching and opening half way.

"Yeah. Juliet's safe, but she needs you to go back to sleep now." It was easier to reassure the man. His clinical 'we don't know yet, but we are doing all we can' seemed too complex an answer for him, even if it was the truth. Aaron watched the way the fear and worry seemed to drain out of him at those words, the reason why he was still awake while the other's had long since given in to whatever force that had brought them here.

Sawyer licked his lips, his throat bobbing as he tried to force something else out. He appeared to give up halfway through the motion and closed his eyes again.

Aaron pressed the cloth against Sawyer's neck, rubbing the blood from his face.

"I figured you'd be up doctoring Jack by now," Ellie's voice shook him out of whatever daze he had fallen into. He blinked heavily and trained his eyes on her as she crossed the kitchen toward him.

"I asked Jay to check him for the major stuff," he admitted, barely stifling a yawn.

"I wasn't sure if…" he started to say something, but she seemed to understand. "Thought it would be easier on him if I did this part instead."

They both stared at each other and she knelt down to stroke the stubbled ridge of his jaw. He needed to shave, the extra scruff giving him a rugged and semi-wild look that didn't seem to fit his nature.

"You're doing great," she assured him, easily reading the doubt in his features.

He sighed and leaned his cheek into her touch as her hands slipped around his neck. Sometime during the night his bowtie had come loose and their movements caused it to slide down the front of his shirt, threating to fall off entirely.

He choked out a little self-deprecating laugh, worrying that he was only now starting to come to terms with the breadth of what was happening…it had stricken Jay earlier. "I'm not sure what else I can do for them."

"Be there," Ellie said reassuringly.

"Yeah?" he said if it were a question and not a response.

Ellie frowned at him, but she let the subject drop. Aaron caught where her eyes where headed and shifted slightly so that he was facing Sawyer again. The man at least appeared to be asleep, or unconscious.

"I know it looks bad, but a lot of it is just grime and dried blood. He has a few cuts on his face and his jaw seems a little swollen, like it was given a good smack, but he's otherwise fine." He yawned again. "I'd like to try and get him out of Jay's jacket and that jumpsuit, but I really don't wanna risk waking him up," Aaron admitted.

Ellie stood up and looked down at Sawyer. He was sprawled on his back with the zipper to his coveralls pulled halfway down his chest, exposing a grubby olive sweater underneath. His arms somehow managed to become awkwardly tangled in Jay's tuxedo jacket. They covered him with the woolly afghan at the foot of the couch a turned out the lights.

Aaron switched on the fluorescent tube light that hug over the stove as he made his way to the pantry for a bottle of aspirin.

"Are you really expecting to be _that_ hungover?" Ellie teased.

"Have I ever been 'that hungover'?" he asked in mock offense.

"We'll there was that one time in collage that you…"

He raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay," he scoffed.

She grinned back at him and he relented. "Nah, they're for Jay and Jack,"

He had good insight. He could hear Jay shuffling around in the bathroom as they made their way up the stairs. Ellie, went ahead of him, padding into their bedroom to sort out some extra clothing for their guests.

Aaron ducked into his daughter's room, bending down to rescue, Storm, the stuffed husky who had fallen off the bed as she slept. He replaced the toy and leaned in to kiss her goodnight before turning to wait for Jay on the landing. When the bathroom door did open, Jay shuffled out looking green and downright irritable.

"Aren't you up past yer bedtime?" He retorted snatching the bottle of aspirin from Aaron's outstretched hand.

"Yes," Aaron agreed finally, shrugging. He wasn't exactly the party animal type and Jay knew it.

"Yeah. I'll bet," the man huffed, barely suppressing a groan.

"It's always that last one, ain't it, Doc?"

"No. It's usually the six or so before that, that's the real killer," the older man chided.

"Fair enough," Jay croaked, catching a hint of a smirk. He shook two tablets out of the bottle and handed it back to Aaron.

"Yer enjoying this arn't ya?"

"Probably not as much as Claire would," Aaron started, but his grin faltered, knowing there was more to this night than Jay worrying about Claire posting drunken videos of him all over Facebook in the morning.

Jay swallowed hard, not wanting to press the issue. He muttered something about 'sadistic doctors' and jabbed his thumb in the direction of the spare bedroom."Did ya know Rip Van Winkle in there talks in his sleep?"

Aaron tried hard not to laugh. "Kate used to tease him about it all the time. How are they doing?"

Jay pinched the bridge of his nose as he tossed the pills to the back of his throat. "Still out cold."

He swallowed hard and bit the inside of his cheek. "How's…"

"James, is asleep." Aaron finished for him. "We cleaned him up as best we could, he could use a good long shower and a change of clothes, but I honestly didn't want to set him off again. He's worried sick about her."

"Probably not worth it." Jay agreed, looking unwilling to pursue the subject any further. He almost didn't want to know.

"Well anyway, Doc," he raised his hand to scratch the back of his neck. "I'd better be…"

"Bed's all turned down for ya, Jay." Ellie interrupted as she thrust an armful of clothes into Aaron's hands. She gestured back toward her and Aaron's bedroom.

"Aaron and I are camping in the den."

Jay looked uncomfortable with the idea and had planned to go sleep in his car still parked in Aaron's driveway until he felt sober enough to drive. He was originally supposed to be going home with Claire tonight.

Aaron took him by the elbow and led him across the landing into the spacious master bedroom. Moonlight was flooding in from the broad cove window that looked out over the backyard. The bed in the center of the room was large with an overstuffed mattress and a thick duvet pealed back over the top of the sheets.

"Maybe a little shut-eye wouldn't be such a bad idea," he admitted grimly. He really felt like he was going to throw up and he didn't like the premise of doing so in front of the Doc.

"Ya think?" Aaron gave Jay a little shove toward the bed. "Just don't puke all over my hardwood and we won't have a problem, LaFleur," he teased and pulled the door shut.

Aaron caught Ellie tugging blankets from the linen closet and pulled her in for a kiss.

"Making your rounds are you, doctor?" she purred causing him to flush a little. Okay, so maybe he was a little less sober than he seemed to think.

"Just Jack and Kate left," he assured her. "Then I'll be down."

"I've never seen you so anxious to sleep in the den," she returned slyly earning a chuckle.

"Oh, it's just fine when I have company," he winked.

She flashed him a broad smile as he disappeared into the guest bedroom.

Inside, the room was dark, stave for the sounds of heavy breathing mixed with the steady hiss of the air exchanger. Aaron waited for his eyes to adjust before switching on a lamp and setting the bottle of aspirin next to it on the night stand.

Jack was lying on top of the covers in his boxers with one arm flung over Kate, hugging her against his chest. He mumbled something that Aaron couldn't make it.

"Jack?" Aaron knelt to inspect the scene.

"…Not supposed to raise him…" the man muttered in a sleep garbled voice. "…my fault…go back…"

"Hey, easy now. You're not going anywhere at the moment I'm afraid."

He gently prodded the man's shoulder blade resulting in a low groan. The stimulus was enough to coax the man into rolling toward him, which also disturbed Kate. She shifted, cuddling into Jack's back and Aaron could she was wearing a pair of Ellie's PJs.

"I just need to get a look at your head, make sure that there's nothing I missed." He explained to the sleeping man, almost tripping over his med-kit in the process. He reached in the side pocket for a penlight and pried the former doctor's eyes open with his thumbs, brandishing the light. The man groaned and made a weak swipe at him.

"It's alright, Jack" he soothed, accidently brushing against a particularly deep gash over his temple. He squinted down at it and stood up to switch on the overhead lights.

"That needs to be closed before it gets infected," he told the man, not willing to allow himself the time to think about how strange this really was. Jack had patched him up loads of times, but never the other way around. This Jack seemed so much younger than the one he knew.

"Just gonna be a little sting," Aaron mumbled, tearing an alcohol pad open with his teeth to clean the wound. He dabbed at it lightly, feeling the man start and struggle to get away from the sensation. Jack yelped and Kate latched onto him tighter so that she was flush with his back.

He quickly sealed the cut with a small laser and patched it over with a cloth bandage.

Jay did a good job of cleaning Jack up, the man's hair was dirty and mud still pooled at the base of his neck, but most of the blood had been washed away.

Aaron caught sight of his sport coat and Jack's soiled jeans and t-shirt tossed in the corner of the room. He left it for the time being, and did his best to tease the covers out from under the sleeping pair's limbs, readjusting them over their bodies in the process. He switched off the lamp and set a glass of water next to the aspirin bottle on Jack's side of the bed.

Aaron grabbed his medical kit, shut the door, and crept downstairs, finally able to drop the fearless doctor façade he had been wearing. He drew in a deep breath, feeling his very own headache starting to build.


	3. January 1st 2040

**Five Minutes to Midnight**

**THREE: January 1st, 2014**

" _Splashing through the sand bar, talking by the campfire_

_It's the simple things in life like when and where_

_We didn't have no Internet but man I never will forget_

_The way the moonlight shined upon her hair"_

"While we were trying different things…And we were smoking funny things…Making love out by the lake to our favorite song…Sipping whiskey out the bottle, not thinking 'bout tomorrow…Singing 'Sweet Home Alabama' all summer long." Aaron sung in his best Kid Rock impression, much to his six-year-old's amusement.

"Dodo do dodo dodo dododo do…" he drummed his palms on the counter top before spinning on his heels and snagging a whisk from the top drawer.

He pretended it was a microphone. "While we were trying different things…And we were smoking funny things…Making love out by the lake to our favorite song…Sipping whiskey out the bottle, not thinking 'bout tomorrow…"

"Singing 'Sweet Home Alabama' all summer long." Caitlyn sung into the whisk, finishing the chorus for him.

"Jesus Doc, you _have_ been 'smoking funny things'." A voice ground out.

He glanced up to see Jay squinting down at him clad in his black pants and crumpled white dress shirt from the night before.

"Uncle Jay!" Caitlyn launched herself off the stool she was perched on and dove for his left leg before he could react. Jay groaned, but managed to scoop her up against his chest and give her a peck on the cheek.

"How ya doing, Squirt?" He asked in an overly cheery voice.

"Great!" She chirped. "Dad and me are making pancakes. Chocolate chip ones."

"Chocolate chip ones!" Jay mimicked, gasping in astonishment. "Well ain't yer Dad the culinary genius."

"You're silly, Uncle Jay."

"Caitlyn, honey. Do you mind going down to the den and asking Mom if she wants juice?"

Aaron gave Jay a knowing look as he watched the man gently set his daughter down, ruffling her thick mop of blonde hair in the process. She grinned up at him before ducking between his legs and down the hall.

"How bad on a scale of one to ten?" He asked, once he heard his daughter's feet clumping noisily down the steps to the den and he was certain she was out of earshot.

"Twelve." Jay muttered. "Feels like a god damn gorilla is playing bongo drums with my brain."

"Mmmm…really gotta watch those bongo playing gorillas," Aaron agreed. He reached across the counter for his iphone to turn down the volume on his playlist, mildly surprised the older man hadn't jumped at the opportunity to trash his archaic taste in music. He must be feeling rough.

"Coffee?" He offered, gesturing to the Keurig.

Jay shook his head. "Doubt it'll stay down."

Aaron made a face. "Aspirin than," he decided. "It's upstairs, I'll be right back."

Jay nodded and pulled out one of the stools tucked under the overhang of the island in the middle of the kitchen. He had never felt this hungover in his life he thought as he pressed his cheek against the granite countertop in an attempt to ward off his stomach from voiding the sour liquor that sloshed around inside of him.

The next thing he knew something cold was being draped along the back of his neck, making his entire body tingle. He hadn't even realized he had closed his eyes until he opened them again to see two white tablets and a tall glass of water being pushed toward him.

"Jay." Aaron warned when he let out a ragged groan in protest. He didn't raise his head from the countertop.

"You're dehydrated. Drink this or I'm hooking you up to an IV."

Jay turned a few shades whiter, muttering something about 'doctors and their damn needles' as he reached for the pills then the water, opening his mouth wide and sticking out his tongue to show he swallowed.

Aaron issued him an approving nod and went back to mixing his pancake batter.

"Any word from Claire?" Jay dropped his head back down between folded arms as he spoke.

"Yeah. She called about an hour ago. Just out of surgery and getting settled in the ICU shortly. Juliet had a lot of internal damage, extensive hemorrhaging from a splenic laceration, several broken vertebrae that needed internal fixation, a handful of broken ribs, and a collapsed lung." Aaron gave him a sympathetic look, his skin was about the same colour as the pale granite that adorned his counter. "But…" he continued. "That being said and all things considered, she's in stable condition." He didn't dare tell the man that she had coded twice, once on the way to the hospital and once in the OR. "Claire's gonna call you in a bit. A classmate of mine, Dr. Ryan Bristow, is on for ICU today, he's a good guy. Claire also wants to hang around in case something changes and they need to go back to the OR. She's just catching some shut-eye in her office."

"You…you said she was stable." Jay's flat tone changed to one of alarm.

"She is." Aaron explained gently. "Claire's just being overly cautious, that's all. The trauma team that worked Juliet's case last night are excellent as are the team in ICU. Her pain is well controlled and they are going to keep her very heavily sedated for a while to give her body time to heal. She's gonna be alright, Jay. These things just take time."

"Thanks, Doc." Jay sighed and went back to being queasy.

"Maybe you should follow Claire's example and get some more shut-eye yourself?" Aaron raised his head from the bowl of batter he was stirring and glanced at the clock on the oven. "It's only 9:00 AM."

A low whimper to his right prevented him from saying anything else.

"Hang on a sec." Aaron set the bowl down near the sink and padded over to the couch.

"James?" He asked, peering down at the man. His glasses slid down the bridge of his nose.

The southerner was on his back, still tangled in Jay's sport coat and groaning loudly as he struggled to force his eyes open.

"I think he's starting to come round," Aaron whispered to Jay, silently hoping that they would not have a repeat of last night.

"Juliet." He breathed through parted lips.

Aaron winced.

"Gotta save her…she falling…gotta…" he lurched forward and would have fallen off altogether if Aaron hadn't caught him and eased him back against the couch with a grunt. The close proximity seemed to jar Sawyer and his head started to roll lazily from side to side as his eyes slowly opened.

The truncated gasp that left his mouth was one of pure confusion. He spotted Aaron standing above him in a faded grey _Star Wars_ t-shirt and pair of red plaid pajama pants. Sawyer's gaze locked on the man for only a moment before his shut his eyes, opening them again a second later. He grunted in confusion when the image did not resolve itself.

Aaron fetched a pen-light from the medical bag he'd left on coffee table and brandished it in front of his face. He was pleased when Sawyer appeared to track it with his eyes.

"Any dizziness or blurred vision?" He asked clinically, skipping all pretense.

Sawyer blinked at him. "Excuse me?"

"Do you have any dizziness or blurred vision?" Aaron repeated. "You're pupil response seems a little sluggish. Do you know if you hit your head at all?"

"Hit my…"Sawyer grumbled, ignoring Aaron's gesture to stay lying down.

"Son of a bitch!" he erupted, working his arms out of the black tuxedo jacket that had somehow ended up wrapped around him. He threw it to the floor, kicking the heavy blanket that had snared his legs along with it. He stared incredulously at the offending items then back at Aaron. "Who the hell are you?"

Aaron swallowed hard, unsure how to proceed. His hesitation seemed to enrage Sawyer who had shakily managed to get to his feet.

"What's the last thing you remember, James?"

"How do you…" he started to stammer, but something caught him in mid-sentence and he had to sit back down before he fell.

"Juliet," her name was barely a whisper on his lips. His eyes widened. _Oh god, Juliet!_

Aaron noted the grey sheen his face has taken on and frowned, shooting a glance at Jay whose head was still flush against countertop, pretending not to be listening. It was probably better he didn't complicate matters. The man still seemed taxed out enough that he could only handle one stranger at a time.

"Juliet," Sawyer whimpered in the form of a pain-filled sob that sounded wet and grief ridden. His face contorted into a grimace, forcing Aaron to believe that his grasp of reality was tenuous at best.

"James," he tried again, squatting on his haunches in front of the man. He didn't react.

"Juliet." The hands rubbing his eyes clenched into tight fists. It was his fault, she's dead and it's all his fault. He should have went with her on that god damn sub so many years ago. He should have let her leave the island. If he had she would still be alive right now. He should have listened…he should have fucking listened.

Aaron pinched the thick muscle running from his neck to his shoulder. The pain seemed to bring him out of it.

"Son of a bitch! What the hell did you do that for?" he glowered, swatting Aaron away. "That fuckin' hurt." His right hand slid down his neck to rub at the spot.

"You were spacing out on me. You probably did take a knock to the head at some point," Aaron mused.

Sawyer glared at him, but he didn't try to get up this time, instead letting his head sink back against the leather headrest.

"So you going to tell me what the hell's going on?" He asked roughly, suddenly very tired and confused.

Aaron nodded, sensing the man's discomfort. "Alright, if you think you can fill in the gaps."

Sawyer clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and glared up at him. "Well, then you can start with how the hell you know my name?"

The young doctor didn't push his luck. "I was on the island with you," he admitted.

"Now hang on just a minute there…" his eyes roamed to the penlight still clasped in Aaron's hand and he gave the man a strange look. "…Doc?"

"Yeah, I'm a general surgeon." he agreed, tossing the penlight back on the table.

"Well ya sure as hell weren't on the flight. I damn well think I'd remember a…"

"I wasn't on the flight as such," Aaron countered. "I was born on the island."

Sawyer stared at him and Aaron relented.

"My _mother_ was on 815."

If Sawyer had any idea what was going to come out of the young man's mouth it _wasn't_ this.

"Aaron?" He rasped.

"You got it," Aaron offered him a small smile, but the shocked look he got in response forced him to elaborate.

"You guys showed up here last night. I don't really know, there was a bright flash and there you were… unconscious."

Sawyer pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried to process what was being told. He ended up closing his eyes and taking another long deep breath.

"We aren't on the island?" He asked weakly.

Aaron shook his head. "No. You're in Los Angeles."

"When?" He really didn't want to know, but he had to ask.

"January 1st, 2040."

"Son of a fucking bitch!" He wanted to punch something, but as he moved to get up a fierce wave of nausea ricocheted through him making him feel as though his body was smouldering from the insight out. He remembered experiencing a similar situation when the island was skipping through time. It made him sick just to think about it.

"Listen James,"

"It's Sawyer," he snapped at the boy, needing to vent his anger.

"Alright, Sawyer than."Aaron straightened the glasses on the bridge of his nose before he dared continue, giving the man a moment to let the situation sink in. "Juliet's in the hospital," he told the man slowly, watching his facial features change as his sleep addled mind tried to keep up. "She is recovering from a major surgery and is very ill."

The intensity of the other man's gaze seemed to burn through him.

"Surgery? Juliet's alive?" Sawyer mouthed, dumbfounded.

"Yes. She needs to stay in the ICU for a little while, but she's in good hands. We've got her sedated so she's not in any pain as things start to heal." Aaron wondered if the man in front of him could turn any paler. "I know it's a lot to take in, but I can take you to see her in a little bit once she's settled away."

Sawyer swallowed thickly. "I can't lose her."

"You won't." Aaron assured. "She's in good hands."

"So Juliet and I arn't the only ones in—2040?" He hesitated, glancing around at Aaron's spacious living room; a large flat screen TV sat adjacent to the couch he was sitting on, offset by an elaborate fireplace, two towering bookshelves abutted the side wall, and a door leading to the backyard deck to his right.

"Nope. Jack, Kate, yourself and Juliet turned up here last night. Did a helluva job of crashing our New Years Eve party," Aaron mused. "They're still upstairs sleeping it off."

Sawyer nodded and finally let his head sink against the back of the couch, damn they just couldn't catch a break. He hadn't realized he had closed his eyes until they snapped open as something loud echoed from down the hall.

"Sorry," Aaron mumbled sheepishly. "That would be my hyperactive six-year old," he said as Caitlyn skidded into the room.

"Daddy," her tone was businesslike. "Mommy would like orange juice with her pancakes and she said to remind you not to make a mess in the kitchen."

"Oh, she did eh?" Aaron mused, grinning down at his daughter.

"Oh yes.". She said and paused, noticing Sawyer for the first time. "Daddy, can we do introductions?" she asked, nonplussed by the stranger in her living room and earned a chuckle from Aaron.

He knelt down to her level. "Sure, Sweetheart. This is Daddy's friend Sawyer, but he's not feeling very well so we have to be really quiet today, okay?"

Caitlyn nodded gravely. "Okay, Daddy."

Sawyer watched as the blonde haired child in the pink stripped pajamas turned to face him and confidently offered her right hand. "Hi, I'm Caitlyn and I'm six years old and my favourite colour is purple." she beamed.

He reached to grasp the pre-offered limb and gently shook it.

"I'm Sawyer." He winced at how gravelly his voice sounded.

"Do you like the colour purple?" She asked casually.

He swallowed and pretended to consider the question. "Well I don't know, Squirt personally I'm more of a mauve fan."

Caitlyn giggled. "You're funny like Uncle Jay."

Aaron shot a glance across to the kitchen to find it empty. He frowned.

"How bout we finish those pancakes, Kiddo?" He ushered Caitlyn back toward the sink where he sat her on the stool that Jay had vacated.

"Think you can mix in these chocolate chips?" He asked, holding up a bag and shaking it.

"Yum!" she grinned as he shook the bag's contents into the bowl and handed her a spoon.

"Cute kid ya got there."

Aaron walked back to where Sawyer was silently observing them. He looked taxed, but seemed to be making an effort to engage in conversation.

Aaron perched on the arm of the couch and smiled. "Thankfully she takes after her Mom."

"No, I'm pretty sure she get's her spunk from your side of the gene pool." A voice caught their attention and they turned to see Ellie leaning against the bookshelf, her arms wrapped around what appeared to be one of Aaron's old sweatshirts and some toiletries.

Aaron rolled his eyes. "Sawyer, I'd like you to meet my wonderful wife, Ellie."

She issued him a warm smile and gestured to the bundle in her arms. "I brought up some clean clothes. A shower might make you feel a little better if you're up for it."

Sawyer eyed the two of them and nodded slowly.

"Thanks." He gingerly pushed himself forward and grasped the arm of the couch to steady himself as he stood. Balance came a little easier as soon as he was upright, but fuck he was stiff and his jaw throbbed like a son of a bitch.

"Showers' upstairs," Aaron explained and took the bundle from Ellie who had wandered into the kitchen to encourage her daughter to try and keep the pancake mix inside of the bowl. The majority was everywhere but.

Aaron surveyed the scene sheepishly. "Try and aim for the bowl instead of the ceiling, ok Sweetheart?" He leaned down to kiss her on the cheek, resulting in a thick glob of batter getting smeared along the stubbled ridge of his jaw. He scraped it off with a finger and sucked it in his mouth.

"Mmmm my compliments to the chef!" Aaron grinned.

Ellie rolled her eyes. "How about Mommy helps you make a new batch while Daddy stuffs the turkey?"

Aaron offered her a one fingered salute and led Sawyer around the corner where the dining room opened up into a sprawling space. The heavy pine table on the right was decked off in a claret table cloth and gold plated dinnerware depicting a Christmas scene. In the middle, a crystal centerpiece flanked by two golden reindeer glittered in the early morning sun.

"Nice digs you got here, Doc."

Aaron smiled. "Ellie is a big fan of decorating for the holidays. You should have seen this place last week when Christmas in in full swing. She's been picking at taking things down throughout the week. I'm in charge of the tree and the outdoor lights. "

Sawyer nodded as Aaron rambled on about the subtleties of their traditions, observing how the room split into an entrance way with a smaller nook off to the side; big, broad windows overlooking a quiet cul-de-sac. The steps to his right lead up to a split level landing.

"Bathroom is straight up the top there." Aaron explained and handed him the bundle of clothes. "Everything you need should be on the counter."

"Thanks I ah…." Sawyer paused. "I'm sorry for the way I went off on ya earlier." He looked uncomfortable.

Aaron shrugged it off thankful that the man didn't seem to remember tackling him to the ground. "Don't even worry about it."

He watched Sawyer nod and head up the stairs before he walked into the front room to look out the window. Jay's white Ford F150 was no longer parked in the driveway.

"I think Jay's having a rough time with this." He told Ellie as he padded back to the kitchen to pull the thawing turkey out of the fridge and set it in the sink. "His truck is not in the driveway."

Ellie sighed and ran a hand along his back. "He just needs time I think. Maybe he's gone to the hospital?"

"Hmmm. I'll shoot Claire a text to keep her eye out for him." Aaron grabbed his phone off the counter. "It's probably a good thing," he said as he typed. "Sawyer's pretty volatile after everything he's been through."

"Jay's just like him." Ellie grinned. "So on a scale between his birthday and St. Paddy's Day last year how bad was his hangover?"

Aaron paused to consider the question. "Somewhere in the middle I think. He was looking pretty green at the gills and Claire's not even here to tease him about it."


	4. The Truth Part 1

**Five Minutes to Midnight**

**FOUR: The Truth Part 1**

Kate knew something was off the moment she opened her eyes. She had a pounding headache, which only seemed to worsen when she raised her head from the overstuffed pillow that it was positioned on. Jack, who was lying next to her, shifted at the marginal movement. She could feel his warm, solid body pressed against the curve of her back. He let out the tiniest of sighs and she took stock of how one of his hands had snaked up under her shirt, the pads of his fingers resting just under her left breast. Kate frowned, but made no motion to withdraw from the contact. Their legs and feet were tangled together and on any other day she would find nothing strange about waking up to him like this, but she didn't remember going to bed with him last night and the thought was gnawing at her.

Did they drink a little too much? That would explain the headache, but not the sour, gut-wrenching feeling that something wasn't quite right. Jack muttered a harsh word in his sleep, his breath made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Kate tensed. She hadn't slept with Jack since the night before they had all left for the island. Their plane had crashed and they had ended up with Sawyer and Juliet in the 70s.

Kate felt bile rise in the pit of her stomach as she found herself blinking in the darkness. Her mind raced, frantically combing through her last conscious memories: the Swan worksite, Jack and Sawyer fighting, the bomb—oh god, Juliet, then nothing at all.

Had they done it? Had they reset time? Jack's fingers absently flexed against her abdomen, directing Kate's attention to their current situation. If they had reset time than why wasn't she in jail? How had they ended up in bed together? Better yet, where the hell were they?

She roughly pulled herself away from Jack as she sat, eyes flitting nervously around the room. Although the blinds were drawn tight slivers of dilute sunlight poured in from the window directly behind the bed. She traced the outline of the room, looking for a means to escape; night tables flanking the bed, chair to her immediate right, dresser abutting the far wall, and a door directly adjacent to her. Kate noted the door was cracked marginally, significantly decreasing the probability that they were being held against their will.

Kate's heart began to race as she noticed that her jeans and gray t-shirt had been swapped for a pair of flannel pajamas with polar bears on them. She could see her discarded clothes in the corner of the room with Jack's. What the hell had happened to them and why didn't she remember?

She glanced down at Jack who hadn't stirred after her rather abrupt disentanglement of their various body parts. He was laying on his stomach facing her with his mouth slightly agape. That was strange considering what a light sleeper he typically was.

"Jack?" Kate whispered, her wrist accidently brushed against the bandaged wound on his temple as she reached to nudge his shoulder. Her eyes fixed on the purple bruise that blossomed around the bandage. He groaned.

"Jack, wake up," She shook him harder.

"Hmmm?" Jack slurred, barely opening his eyes. He rubbed them with balled fists.

"What time is it?" He blindly reached for his watch on the bed side table, frowning as he came back empty handed, almost knocking over a glass of water, he didn't remember putting there, in the process. He flopped onto his back and was half way to falling asleep again when Kate spoke.

"Jack, the bomb detonated. I don't know where we are."

He peered up at her. "Kate, what…" Jack swallowed, grimacing at the hollow pounding in his head. He had never felt this hungover in his life.

The floorboards outside the door creaked and Kate tensed at the sound of heavy footsteps.

"Hey El, is my iPad down there…Y'ouch!" A male voice echoed causing Jack to startle and look a little more awake. A loud thump rattled the walls and Kate sat up straighter.

"Yeah, no I'm fine. I tripped on a Minion." The voice called again.

"What the fuck is a Minion?" A different voice this time. Kate's eyebrows knitted together at the sound of the familiar drawl. Was that Sawyer? She strained to hear what was being said, but the voices were softer now and distorted.

Outside the room, Aaron gripped the offending object between his thumb and index finger. He waggled it in the air so that its singular eye faced Sawyer.

"Something that never should have made a resurgence." Aaron chuckled. "It's a Disney thing," he explained as he walked past the man to set the cylindrical creature down on the dresser in his daughter's room. He glanced back as he did so.

"Feeling any better?"

Sawyer was standing next to the bathroom, dressed in one of Aaron's old navy sweatshirts and a dark pair of jeans. He nodded, hair still damp from his shower, but winced as he moved his head.

"Head, jaw, or both?" Aaron asked knowingly, earning a muttered "both" in reply.

"I'll get you some something for the pain and then you should ice that jaw." He motioned to the door on his immediate right. "I left the bottle of aspirin in here for Jack."

The moment the door creaked open Kate was on her feet and backed against the far wall her eyes roaming for something that she could use as a weapon.

"Woah, easy there." Aaron tried to reason, sensing the tension as soon as he entered the room. He locked eyes with Kate and slowly raised his hands palm up in what he hoped was a placating gesture.

Jack's reaction time was sluggish. He barely managed to sit himself up against the headboard and fix Aaron with a glare. The sheets had fallen away revealing his bare chest, which significantly watered down the sentiment.

"Easy," Aaron muttered again. He knew better than to take his eyes off Kate who looked ready to maim him. "It's alright," he tried again, relieved when Sawyer ducked his head in from around the corner.

"Calm the hell down, Freckles. Hush Puppy here ain't gonna hurt us." Sawyer explained.

Kate stared at the tall, lanky stranger and then back at Sawyer.

"Sawyer, what?" She breathed after a long moment.

"We fucking time traveled again," Sawyer's lips twisted into a snarl as he spoke "Way ta go, Doc! You fucking did it this time!"

Jack grimaced and ran a hand across his face, pinching the bridge of his nose in the process. Bile rose in the back of his throat.

"Sawyer, I don't know what you are talking about." He grumbled weakly, dropping the pretense that he was feeling the slightest bit okay. His stomach did a flip-flop before he could take inventory of his surroundings and he paled significantly.

Aaron anticipated what was going to happen before it did and dove for the garbage can, holding it steady in Jack's lap as he emptied his stomach contents and then some. "Deep breaths, okay Jack?" He told the man as he wretched. Jack whimpered, no longer caring where he was or what was happening. He felt too miserable.

Aaron looked at Kate who was still lurking hesitantly in the corner of the room."Mind holding this?" He gestured to the bucket. She stared at him then Jack, but took the object without comment.

"What the hell is wrong with him?" Sawyer demanded, chasing Aaron out of the room and down the stairs.

"Concussion I think. Bad one." Aaron explained, nodding to Ellie as he padded through the kitchen.

"Jack's not well?" She asked, flipping one of pancakes she was grilling on the stove.

Aaron shouldered his medical bag. "Worse than I originally thought. He's pretty green up there. I'm going to try and get him to settle and if he doesn't I'll have to take him in for a scan."

Jack had vomited twice more by the time that Aaron had made his way back up the stairs. Kate was sitting next to him on the bed, rubbing his back. She glanced wearily at Aaron when he entered the room, but seemed to have come to the conclusion that he was not an immediate threat. She didn't protest when he sat on the edge of the bed.

"Can you grab the overhead lights?" Aaron turned to Sawyer, who was lingering in the doorway. He nodded and flicked the switch.

"Dammit that's bright," Jack grumbled.

"Only for a sec, Jack." Aaron assured. "It looks like you took a pretty good knock to your head." He gently placed his hands on Jack's cheeks and palpated lightly with his thumbs.

Jack drew in a ragged breath and exhaled sharply trying to set his mind on anything besides the skull crushing headache that was assaulting him.

Kate frowned. "It was a metal tool box."

"Mmm…" Aaron nodded and replaced the garbage bucket in Jack's lap with a pillow before he stood up and rummaged in his bag.

"Do you know if he lost consciousness?"

"Yes he did. I don't know how long." Kate said.

Jack barely noticed when Aaron tied something tight around his left arm and guided it onto the pillow.

"Alright, little pinch, Jack." Aaron said softly as he threaded a 20 gauge IV catheter into the back of Jack's left hand. He reached up and released the tourniquet before he taped the IV in place and connected it to a bag of Ringers Lactate.

"Hold this above his head for a sec?" He waved the bag at Sawyer who grumbled.

"What the hell am I an IV poll?"

Damn, the man sounded like Jay. Aaron smirked and lifted a canvas print off the wall, exposing the picture hook underneath. He motioned for the bag and looped it around the hook, securing the upper portion of the line with tape for good measure.

"Well aren't you a regular ol' MacGyver." Sawyer deadpanned.

"I try." Aaron agreed.

"Kate, what's happening?" Jack mumbled, staring down at the IV sticking out of his hand. His voice sounded weak and tinny to his own ears.

Kate chewed on her bottom lip. It was a question she really didn't know the answer to so she mumbled words of encouragement. "Shhhhh just try and relax, Jack."

Aaron nodded approvingly. "That's good. Try and keep him calm. It's normal for him to be a little off with this type of head injury," he whispered and reached to prop the pillow behind Jack's back, guiding the man backward in the process.

Jack huffed disapprovingly at the motion. "Why is there an IV in my hand?" He asked, waving the offending limb at Kate to show her, still perplexed by the concept.

Aaron resumed his perch on the side of the bed and waited to catch Jack's attention.

"You've got a pretty impressive concussion, Jack. We're just trying to make you a little bit more comfortable," he told the man slowly.

"M'fine" Jack protested.

Aaron offered him a patient smile. "Yes I can see that, but you looked pretty unwell earlier. I've just put an IV in your hand to give you some fluids because you've been vomiting."

Jack issued him a drowsy nod. "Fluids…" he stammered. "Saline is a good fluid. 20-30 mL/kg over a couple of hours works well until the patient can tolerate oral rehydration. Who needs fluids? I can start the IV."

Sawyer snorted, earning a glare from Kate.

Aaron cocked his head sideways his lips curling into a grin as he did so. "Thanks for the tip, Pal, but I've got this one covered. You just lay back and relax."

He gently reached for Jack's left arm again and felt the man tense.

"How do you feel about Ringers?" He asked, by means of distraction, as he pulled a syringe filled with a moderately sedating anti-nauseant out of his pocket and connected it to the IV port.

"Love Ringers." Jack's eyes flicked to meet Aaron's. "Full of electrolytes and great for shock and fluid replacement in the OR. Can even correct metabolic acidosis."

"Yeah, it's good stuff." Aaron smiled, unscrewing the syringe from the port and patting him on the hand. He sat quietly watching Jack's eyes started to droop. The man was struggling, trying to fight the warm, sleepy feeling that was washing over him like water lapping at sand on the beach. His vision was fading fast, making him blink rapidly as his surroundings distorted. When his eyes finally closed Aaron pressed his finger to lips and gestured to the door. Sawyer followed him dutifully, but Kate was hesitant to leave Jack.

After a moment, Sawyer rolled his eyes and tugged her out of the room by her sleeve.

"What the hell, Sawyer?" Kate pulled away from his grasp, glaring at him.

"Just thought you'd want to listen to what the Doc had to say, Freckles." He held his hands up defensively.

She shook her head. "I don't even know where we are or what's happening! What makes you so sure that we can trust him anyway?" she seethed.

"Well if you'd calm down long enough to let Hush Puppy explain it to ya…" he started, but Aaron interrupted.

"How bout we head down stairs and chat over breakfast?" He suggested. "That stuff I gave Jack is pretty mild and I really don't want him waking up and pulling out that IV just yet."

Kate started to protest, but Sawyer blocked her exit and pointed to the stairs. She fixed him with hard look, but followed when Aaron shuffled ahead of them.

Ellie wasn't in the kitchen when they entered. Aaron suspected she had heard the commotion and had taken Caitlyn downstairs to the den to watch a movie while they ate their breakfast. He leaned against the island and drummed his fingers on the countertop as Sawyer sat on one of the stools and looked at him expectantly.

Kate, on the other hand, stood rigidly with her arms crossed against her chest. Now that Jack was out of danger her suspicion of him had escalated significantly and Aaron knew the expression on her face all too well. God, he felt like a teenager getting caught with a girl and he knew she wasn't going to back down until she was satisfied.

"Ok, let's start with Jack," he said after a moment and easily slipped into doctor mode. It was a welcome distraction from the intensity of her gaze.

"He has a concussion, or what we would call a minor traumatic brain injury, meaning that he sustained a force to his head that was strong enough to knock him unconscious. This causes a temporary disruption of brain function, which can lead to some pretty annoying symptoms: bad headache, nausea and vomiting, confusion and amnesia, problems with balance as well as inattention." He paused. "Are you with me so far?"

Kate gave him a small nod, but otherwise remained rigid. At least it was something, he thought.

"Alright good." Aaron continued. "He's hours out from the initial injury so I'm not concerned about a brain bleed or anything bad like that. All the studies show that the absolute best treatment for these types of injuries is straight up rest. He was vomiting quite a bit so I wanted to support him with some extra fluid and something to help his nausea, but otherwise I'm confident that this should settle down nicely on its own."

"He was pretty out of it." Kate swallowed hard and Aaron could tell she was still worried.

"Yeah, I know, but his concentration actually wasn't that bad. He held up a pretty solid conversation about normal saline and Ringers lactate for fluid resuscitation in between vomiting his guts out and dealing with what is probably the worst headache of his life."

"Typical Jack," Kate agreed, sounding exasperated.

"Yes, it's not quite up there with trying to supervise your own appendectomy, but it's something." Aaron started to laugh and froze when he saw Kate's expression.

"What did you just say?"

He winced, immediately recognizing his mistake.

"...And I guess this brings me to part two of this conversation, huh?" He sighed and looked at Kate. "You er…may want to sit down for this."

"I'll stand. Thanks." She returned dryly.

Sawyer, who had been amazingly patient up to this point, cut off whatever Aaron was going to say with a burst of frustration. "Jackass fucking detonated a fucking hydrogen bomb and we fucking time traveled to the year 2040. Juliet's in the hospital because of his fucking mess. Oh and Doc here is grown up Aaron, who I'm sure your familiar with."

Aaron blew out the breath that he had been holding as he looked between the pair of them.

"That ah…yeah…pretty much sums it up," he agreed weakly and was somewhat relieved when Kate did indeed sit.


	5. The Truth Part 2

**Five Minutes to Midnight**

**FIVE: The Truth Part II**

Aaron watched Kate closely for a good five minutes. She sat rigid on the stool next to the one that Sawyer had been sitting on. The southerner had stormed off in the direction of the living room after his outburst. Aaron could see him sulking on the couch through his peripheral vision.

"There's no way…" Her words stuck to her throat. "There's no way you're _him_."

The colour had drained from her face and she appeared frozen except for the slow rise and fall of her chest as she breathed.

"Fraid so," he told her gently and walked around the island to sit next to her. She flinched at the proximity.

He waited a little longer and when she still didn't say anything he fished his State of California driver's license out of his wallet and slid it across the counter top in front of her.

Kate eventually lifted her head to peer down at the card. 'Austen, Aaron Charlie' was printed on in it in thick black lettering next to his picture. 'DOB: 11/01/2004, EXP: 11/01/2045.'

"Normally I take better pictures than that," he tried to joke. "Oh...and you might remember this." Aaron rolled the sleeve of the plaid button up shirt, he had changed into, showing her a short, thin line that traced the inner surface of his right wrist. "On my third birthday I fell onto some broken glass at the park and had to get stitches."

She felt sick to her stomach. Aaron's third birthday had only been a few weeks ago. He had tried to run down the slide and fell, slicing his hand on a broken beer bottle. There had been blood everywhere and they had to sedate him at the hospital to stitch him up. She blamed herself for the entire ordeal. She had gone to see Jack at the airport the night before and had been so distracted in her own head that she hadn't been watching Aaron. She had abandoned him for the island shortly after that. _Oh god she was such a bad mother_.

Aaron sensed the change in her demeanor and instantly regretted showing her what he thought was an insignificant scar. At first he thought she was starting to laugh, but quickly realized how wrong he was when her bottom lip trembled and she began to sob. He wasn't sure he had ever seen her do that before. Her reaction made his heart sink. Kate was one of the strongest women he knew. He tried to get her attention to tell her as such, but she was looking _through_ him instead of at him. Her face contorted as the tears fell.

Aaron wasn't sure what to do so he stood behind her and gently pulled her against his chest. She emitted a harsh sound at the initial contact, but he ignored it and began to rock slowly back and forth, offering whatever comfort he could. It was the same thing he did with Caitlyn when she was upset, the same thing that Kate did for him when he was young.

"Hush now, you're okay. I got ya." He breathed in her ear, his words only making her sob more. So, he tried a different combination of words: "Shhh…It's not your fault," and felt her shoulders sag. "There we go...shhhh... It's not your fault." He whispered repeatedly until here tears slowed and her cheeks reddened against the damp spot on his shirt.

"I had to leave you," she mumbled, still not meeting his eyes as she slowly withdrew from the contact.

"I know and that's okay. I'm sure I survived," Aaron tried to joke, but his words did little to clear the air between them. He tried a different approach and tugged her to her feet, his right arm wrapped securely around her shoulders as they walked.

"Kate you need to stop worrying about what happened then," he said seriously, leading her into the small front room that faced the street and away from Sawyer's prying eyes.

"I'm not even going to pretend that I know anything about how this works." He sighed and gestured to the white couch that faced Ellie's piano on the far wall. This time, Kate sat willingly and Aaron slid beside her.

"I mean the four of you appear magically out of thin air with significant injuries, looking younger than I've ever seen you. Juliet needed surgery and is now in the ICU, Jack's concussed, and Sawyer keeps going on about Juliet, Jack, time travel, and a hydrogen bomb. And let's not forget the island…I…." Aaron paused. "You know what, I'm not even going to comment on that one, " he huffed throwing up his hands up in exasperation.

"But, here's what I do know." He reached for her left hand and took it into his much larger one. He gave it a reassuring squeeze.

Kate raised her head to look at him.

"I can't speak for what happened wherever you came from, but here, in _this_ time, I can tell you that you are an amazing mother. You took me into your home when I needed you and sacrificed everything so that I can be the person I am today. I can tell you that I love you very much and that yeah, I know I'm adopted. I know that my biological mom was taken on island and that Jack's my half uncle. I know how difficult the whole situation has been—because you think that it should be her raising me instead of you. But, you know what I've learned over the years?" He paused and drew in a long-staggered breath. "Family," he explained. "Has _absolutely nothing_ to do with your blood type and I've been lucky enough to get a pretty good one. As for the rest of this mess, whatever this is, at some point you just have to roll with it…one crazy bowling ball at a time."

Kate's green eyes met his blue ones. In that moment, he could tell that she was finally starting to realize that although he now stood slightly over six foot, with his five o'clock shadow and better command of the English language, he was still very much _her_ Aaron.

"You don't seem rattled by any of this." She said weakly, earning a snort from Aaron.

"Nah, I'm just currently in between freak outs at the moment." He winked.

"So, you're a doctor?" She asked hesitantly.

Aaron closed his eyes and gave her a little nod. "Yeah, I'm a surgeon."

"Like Jack." _Nope, that's Claire,_ he thought. He detected something unreadable on her face.

"Haha not quite. I'm more of a generalist and I do trauma. None of the intense neurosurgery spinal stuff for me."

"Maybe that's a good thing."

Aaron frowned. "Why do I think there's a story there?" he mused, but she wasn't taking the bait. Instead her eyes had sunk lower to where his hand still rested on top of hers. His wedding ring sparkled in the sunlight.

"Ah…" he said, returning his hand to his lap. "Part three of this conversation."

"You're married?" She asked, dumbfounded.

Aaron's face slipped into an easy smile. "I am." He said proudly. "Seven years this spring." He paused. "You up for meeting them?"

Kate swallowed. " _Them_?"

Aaron winked and motioned for her to follow. They headed back into the kitchen then through the living room where they noticed Sawyer passed out on the couch. Aaron continued down the hallway and nudged another door that was cracked half way with his foot revealing a set of stairs. Once at the bottom he padded a short distance and his smile widened.

"Well hey there, what's ya watching?"

Ellie and Caitlyn were curled in the overstuffed recliner viewing a Disney movie on the TV. Ellie paused it when she saw Aaron who gestured over his shoulder.

" _Return of the Minions_." Caitlyn said easily.

"I see." Aaron glanced at the screen. "My favorite is the yellow one." He laughed at his own joke, earning a dramatic eye roll from his daughter.

He could hear Kate's hesitant footsteps on the stairs behind him.

"Kate. I'd like you to meet my wife Ellie and my daughter Caitlyn." Aaron told her when she came in to view. The shell-shocked expression she had been wearing all morning intensified as her eyes roamed over the pair.

"Hiiiiiiii" Caitlyn waved enthusiastically.

Aaron grinned "Don't mind this little monster. She's just hyper on chocolate chip pancakes!" He launched himself toward his daughter and hoisted her up onto his shoulders, making her squeal with delight.

 _Caitlyn? They named the little girl after her? Why would they do that?_ Kate stood in a daze. It was one thing to learn that the little boy she had been taking care of for the past three years was now a fully grown, married man, but the concept of him having a child of his own didn't seem to settle in her brain.

Ellie sensed her distress and crossed the room to give her a hug, snapping her out of her stupor.

"How are you holding up?" She asked, running her hand along Kate's back and offering her a warm smile.

"I really don't know." Kate admitted a little breathlessly as she watched Aaron interact with the child.

"And that's okay." Ellie sighed. "I'm Ellie. I guess Aaron introduced himself?"

"He did…yeah…I just…I…" Another squeal interrupted whatever Kate was trying to say. Aaron was running around the room with Caitlyn on his shoulders, intentionally distracting her. Ellie ignored the pair with an amused tolerance.

"Would you like something to eat? We've got extra pancakes I could heat up and there's toast and cereal." She changed the subject to try and make things easier on Kate.

"I'd love some."

Ellie gave her a pleased nod.

"Alright pancakes!" Aaron said in a sing-song voice. "Last one up the stairs has to do the dishes!" He set Caitlyn down and she sprinted through his legs, giggling.

"Enough surprises for one day?" He asked, once he could hear the six-year-old's feet scampering up the stairs.

"I don't even know where to start." Kate admitted, looking more than overwhelmed.

"One step at a time." Aaron shrugged and reached to pull Ellie against him as they headed toward the stairs.

As they entered the living room they saw Caitlyn standing by the couch, a perplexed expression on her young face. She was staring at Sawyer who was sound asleep sitting up with one of his arms dangling over the side of the armrest. He didn't look the slightest bit comfortable. His was posture rigid as though had been making intense effort not to fall asleep in the first place.

"What's wrong with him Daddy? It's day time."

Aaron knelt beside her and lowered his voice. "He's just not feeling well, Sweetheart. I think he's having a bit of a bad day."

"Why?"

Aaron closed his eyes and Kate could see him struggling to come up with an answer. "He's sad because one of his friends is in the hospital," he decided on.

Caitlyn considered this as she looked from her Dad to Sawyer. "I'm going to make him a card to cheer him up."

Aaron grinned down at her and ruffled her hair. "That's a great idea. Why don't you go get your new crayons that Santa brought you?" He turned his head to catch the wistful expression on Kate's face.

"How is Juliet doing?" Kate asked as soon as her namesake was out of earshot.

Aaron sighed and motioned for her to follow him the short distance into the kitchen where he leaned against the counter.

"She's stable, but still very much in critical condition at the moment," he told her in a low voice. "She bled a lot from a tear in her spleen, which was removed. She also had several broken vertebrae in her back that needed to be pinned in place. On top of that, she's got a handful of broken ribs and a chest tube in because one of her lungs had collapsed."

Kate closed her eyes and felt as though she was going to be sick.

"Yeah, I know it sounds bad." Aaron agreed. "But the team looking after her are the best. I've got some experience with this. She's young and healthy enough that I really think she's gonna pull through, it's just going to be a rough couple of days."

His palmed his phone from where he had left it on the counter and noticed he had a handful of missed texts from Claire:

\- Sorry, just up. Jay's MIA *bluejay emoji*  
\- Maybe he's home. I will try his cell.  
\- He's not answering *frustrated emoji*  
\- Juliet's pressure is soft. Bristow's maxed levophed and starting vasopressin  
\- Vitials rock solid on vaso! Still no Jay *sad emoji*

Aaron wrote her a short message:  
\- Yay Bristow *nerd emoji*  
\- Jay is ++hungover *nauseated face emoji*, stressed, and grumpy.  
\- Give him time.

"Sorry," he glanced up at Kate and slid his phone into his jeans pocket.

"I haven't told Sawyer the extent of her injuries yet." He admitted. "When we found you guys last night all of you were unconscious except for him. He was absolutely delirious with rage trying to get to her. It took a lot to talk him down and I finally did get him to settle by convincing him that she was safe. I'm going to bring him to visit her shortly."

Kate nodded numbly.

"He's head over heels in love with her," she admitted.

Aaron smiled. "Yup, I agree with you there. Speaking of which, mind coming upstairs with me for a sec? I wanna check on Jack."

Kate frowned at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Aaron's expression was playful as he pretended not to have heard her.

* * *

Across town, Dr. Claire Shephard glanced at her phone for what was to be the hundredth time that morning.

_Give him time._

She sighed and shoved the phone back into the breast pocket of her scrubs, barely suppressing a wide yawn. _Damn she was tired_ , the couple hours of sleep she did get were broken and left her more groggy than anything else. She considered grabbing a coffee from the cafeteria, but figured it would do more to sour her stomach than keep her awake.

Her sneakers squeaked against the newly polished linoleum as she walked. She could practically see her reflection in it. It was just past 11 am on New Year's Day and the hospital was deserted. She bumped the door to the ICU with her hip, nodding to the handful of nurses on the main desk.

"Bristow around?" she asked Todd, the charge nurse.

"Bed 8," he replied, not looking up from his tablet.

Claire nodded.

"Sorry," Dr. Ryan Bristow huffed as he pulled the curtain back from Bed 8 and stepped toward her. He was a tall and clean shaven man in his late 30s with jet black hair and kind eyes. He too was wearing a set of green scrubs with a lab coat over the top.

"It's been one of those keep em' alive until the next guy comes on kinda nights." He said sardonically. "Bed 11 decided to tamponade on me and we had to re-intubate 6 because his sats were in the 80s. Your girl's holding her own though."

Claire sighed. "I'm glad. The levo/vaso combo is helping?"

He nodded as they walked over toward the other side of the horse shoe shaped unit. "Yeah, I think she was just shocky from the blood loss. The plan is to give her another unit and see if her blood pressure holds when we wean back the pressors."

"That's good. Aaron will be out this afternoon. The patient's a friend of our family."

"Yeah," Bristow agreed. "I was just talking to him. He sounded very coherent for someone who managed to get New Year's Eve off."

Claire started to respond when a loud voice interrupted her.

"Don't you fucking go poke'in at her like that!"

Claire closed her eyes and held her out her hand. "I got this, okay?"

Bristow shrugged. "Your patient."

She rounded the corner and slid into the last isolation room on the right to find Jay hovering over Juliet's bed glowering. He was wearing the same clothes he had on the night before minus his suit jacket which he hadn't reclaimed from Aaron's. His dress shirt was rumpled, bloodied and missing several buttons and his pants were not in any better condition. His eyes were bloodshot and rimmed with dark circles. He looked absolutely formidable.

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave if you don't calm down." The frightened lab tech warned, needle still poised in his right hand.

"You son of a bitch! You fucking missed _twice_!" Jay hissed. His face lit up when he saw Claire enter the room.

Claire pinched the bridge of her nose and turned apologetically to the tech. "Don't worry about the samples. I'll take care of it."

The tech was only too glad to make a beeline for the door.

"Please tell me that's the only healthcare _professional_ you've scared off today," she asked dryly.

Jay sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping as she worked herself into his arms allowing him to cling to her and burry his face in her dark curls. It was a long time before he dared to let go, almost jumping out of his skin when one of Juliet's machines beeped.

"That's alright. It's not major." She assured, looking up into his bloodshot eyes.

"You weren't answering your phone. I was worried."

"Damn thing died," he grunted and continued to stare at his feet.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"It's a fucking phone. I'll charge it."

"Okay," Claire spoke with an air of practiced patience. "You can be Mr. Sarcastic all you want, but I want you to know that I'm here if you do want to talk."

Her eyes softened when she noticed the bouquet of yellow sunflowers neatly placed in a vase in the corner of the room.

"Let's go home and get some sleep," she told him.

* * *

Sawyer woke with a start to something cold being pressed against his jaw. He jerked away from the sensation and glared at Aaron who had the sense to take a couple of steps back, holding up the ice pack in surrender.

"What the hell do ya think yer doin'?" He grunted and cringed as if something hurt.

"Trying to freeze you to death," Aaron returned and handed the man an ice pack wrapped in paper towel. "Keep it against your jaw. It'll help with the pain."

Sawyer took the object and reluctantly pressed it to his jaw.

"Sorry I got a little distracted earlier." Aaron motioned to the end table where he had placed a glass of water. Next to it was a plate consisting of pancakes, bacon, toast, and two aspirin tablets.

"Didn't know I fell asleep," the southerner muttered and reached for the water, his breath steaming the glass as he drank. He leaned forward and ran his hands through his hair.

"No, no Kate the flowers have to be yellow."

"Okay, but what about the lady bug?"

His eyes opened a little wider and he craned his neck to see Kate who was sitting with Caitlyn at the kitchen table amongst a spread of markers, crayons, and glitter. They appeared to be engaged in their work.

"Well golly gee, if Freckles has busted out the arts and crafts you two must be playing nice now." He snapped at Aaron who recognized the mood all too well.

Aaron ignored him.

"After you eat we'll head over to the hospital," he told him calmly and patted him on the shoulder. Sawyer wouldn't quite meet his eyes.

Aaron's phone buzzed again and he whipped it out of his pocket.

Claire:  
\- Found Jay

He sent her a photo of Grumpy Cat in response.


	6. Intensive Care

**Five Minutes to Midnight**

**SIX: Intensive Care**

The drive to the hospital was uneventful. Sawyer was plaintive and barely spoke as they slid out of Aaron's Mercedes sedan and walked across the parking lot of St. Sebastian's Hospital. The morning had been cool and clear with just the slightest of breezes. Aaron was considering taking Caitlyn for a bike ride when they got back. Mountain biking was one of his and Ellie's favourite activities to do together. When Ellie suggested they get her a bike for Christmas he was ecstatic. They had been working on teaching her how to ride the purple 4-wheeler with the pink basket for a week now and she was catching on fast. He was optimistic that they would be able to ride together on the trails behind their house soon.

"We're cooking a turkey for supper," he said in an attempt to generate dialogue as they walked. "It's kind of a thing we do every New Years."

Sawyer gave a noncommittal grunt and Aaron thought better of continuing the conversation. He led them down the corridor past the emergency department and through the back door that entered into the ICU.

"Hey there, stranger. Happy New Year." Bristow grinned and clapped him on the back as soon as he caught sight of Aaron's blonde hair.

"Ryan." Aaron smiled in greeting. "Happy New Year to you too, buddy."

"Oh mine will start at 24:00 tonight," Bristow announced. "Claire, left not too long ago. I take it you were talking to her?"

Aaron nodded.

"Good. Between the 16 car pile-up on the interstate and that trauma that came in last night I thought she was going to take up permeant residence in our ICU. I thought her Dad was on call for neurosurgery last night? Speaking of which, Mrs. LaFleur is in Bed 2."

Sawyer's head shot up.

"This is James, her husband," Aaron said quickly and hoped that the other man would play along. His eyes seemed to water a little, but he didn't react to the comment.

Aaron's phone buzzed to life with an upbeat pop song that Sawyer didn't recognize. Aaron glanced at the display and answered it quickly.

"Hey Kiddo, Happy New Year!" the voice on the other line greeted.

"Hey…er..just a sec," he muted the phone and looked at Bristow. "You mind bringing him down? I really gotta take this and…" he turned to Sawyer, "I'll catch up with you in a bit?"

He waited until Bristow had led Sawyer down the hall before he continued.

"Sorry, I had to run into work for a sec. Happy New Year, Jack. You and Mom have a nice evening?"

"Mmmmm…." the man on the other end of the line sighed. "I was on call so we did the whole 'Netflix and chill' thing."

"Wow I never thought I'd hear you say that in a sentence." Aaron chuckled as he fiddled with a pen that had been abandoned on the counter of the main desk.

"All the cool kids are doing it," Jack told him, happily. "Not a word from the hospital, got to sit back and watch some fireworks, it was great."

"I'm sure Mom loved that."

"She did." There was a long pause. "How's Juliet doing?"

Aaron dropped the pen he was spinning. "How…?" he breathed, pinching his nose.

Jack sighed. "Everything that happened—happened."

* * *

Sawyer stared blankly ahead as the doctor slid the heavy glass door opened for him revealing a small, narrow room with a bed in the middle. His heart broke as his eyes fell over Juliet, laying unmoving in the center of the bed. She was surrounded by a grouping of machines that he didn't recognize and the blankets covering her poorly disguised the lines and tubes Sawyer knew were connected to them.

"Oh Juliet," he wheezed. He collapsed down onto the chair by her bed and leaned his back against the wall. He almost nudged a square machine from its stand near his knee. _Ventilator_ — he knew the name for that one. They had taken his uncle off of one when he died of his brain tumor. He numbly followed the hose leading from it to the bed where it arced over Juliet's shoulder and connected to a tube that someone had shoved down her mouth. The thought made him sick. His eyes combed over her face, thin and drawn as if she had lost weight in the hours since he has seen her. Her pale skin had a greyish cast. If it wasn't for the mechanical rise and fall of her chest he would have thought that she had already left him. God, he wouldn't have the chance to tell her goodbye, or how much he loved her. Her last memory of him would be their horrible stupid fight and it was all his fault.

His mind drifted to their last moments together:

"He wouldn't listen. I had to. He won't stop!" He had babbled when Juliet finally lured him away, he had to squint to see her properly. The sun was too bright, it hurt too much.

"I need you to tell me where all this is coming from. I mean, one minute, you're leading the great sub escape, and now you're on board with blowing up the damn Island? I got a right to know why you changed your mind." He finally blurted, unable to deduce why she was so angry.

"I changed my mind when I saw you look at her." Her voice was strained and she crossed her arms warning him not to come any closer.

"Don't. Don't." She whispered when her defensive body language wasn't enough. He wanted nothing more than to take her into his arms and reassure her that they were okay. That they could do this.

"I don't care who I looked at. I'm with you." He declared stubbornly. They had each other's backs, didn't they?

"And you would stay with me forever if I let you, and that is why I will always love you. What we had, it was just for a little while, and just because we love each other, it doesn't mean that we're meant to be together. I mean, maybe we were never supposed to be together. So if Jack can make it that-that none of you ever come here, then he should."

The wavering pitch that spilled over her lips wasn't enough to prove to him that she really meant it, that she really wanted to throw it away over one stupid look. He couldn't understand that it was so much deeper than that.

"Why you doing this, Juliet?"

"I... if I never meet you, then I never have to lose you." She told him brokenly, turning so she didn't have to see the absolutely bewildered, stricken, expression that flickered across his face.

He closed his eyes, a mix of fear, anxiety, and exhaustion rattling his mind. Images of the past few hours were roaring to life and threatening to consume him. _This was all his god damn fault._ If she died it would be more innocent blood on his hands. He sunk lower on the chair and cradled his head in his hands.

"I'm sorry…so god damn sorry," he rasped, breathing heavily as everything that had bubbled up inside of him tried to escape.

He reached over, cupping her right hand as though it were porcelain and might shatter at any moment.

"You gotta stick with me, Blondie. Ya promised ya would." His tone was desperate. He felt her hand twitch, nails digging into him as her chest was seized by a deep, rattling cough

"Shhh..." he soothed hearing a tiny whimper escape from her throat. He thought he saw her eyelids flutter, but his mind was probably playing tricks on him.

"You gotta rest now so we can bust ya out of this joint," he told her in the softest voice he could muster. His words were so genuine that they could not have come from Sawyer, the hardened con artist. They were James' words and she seemed to be the only person in the world that could draw them out of him.

"I got yer back, Blondie, but I need you to stay with me and have mine too okay?"

She didn't answer. He must have sat there for hours, holding her hand, sulking in his own guilt and thinly-veiled rage as she lay there as rigid and silent as death. There was a desperation and grief in his thoughts that threatened to suffocate him.

"Would it be easier if I explained what's happening?" Aaron asked. His voice startled Sawyer so badly that his shoulders shook.

"She's dying," he muttered thickly.

Aaron shook his head. "It probably looks that way to you, but she really is holding her own."

He stepped into the room and stood next to where Sawyer was sitting. He let his right hand drop to his shoulder and felt the muscle underneath tense in protest.

"I know this is hard," he whispered, keeping his hand in place. "But know that all these scary lines and tubes are actually helping her. She is heavily sedated, right now, which is making things look worse. I suspect that if we dial back the propofol," he pointed to a line with a milky fluid running through it. "That she would breath on her own and be a lot more reactive. Her doctors just want to give her a little break where one of her lungs had collapsed. That's what this chest tube is for."

Aaron reached to tap a container hanging off the lower bar of the bed. Sawyer could see water bubbling around inside of it.

"This tube acts as vacuum to draw the pressure out of her chest so that her lung is able to re-inflate. It'll stay in for two to three days and they we can pull it. Don't worry, the cut they made to stick the tube in her chest is actually quite small and will be sewn up with a stich or two once the tube is removed." he explained.

"She's also got a cut midway down her belly and one in her back where they took out her spleen and put some pins in her spine. The sedation keeps her from feeling any pain and we've got some tricks up our sleeves to speed up her healing."

Aaron studied Sawyer's expression it was dark, brooding and tortured. He looked like he was trying not to cry and doing a very poor job of it.

"James, stand up for a second," Aaron intentionally used his given name and walked around the other side of the bed to put down the guard rail down.

Thinking Aaron needed to examine her and that he was in the way, Sawyer stood. Aaron grabbed his arm before he could shuffle to the far side of the room.

"Nope, here," Aaron corrected and positioned Sawyer where he wanted him. Juliet was laying more to the left leaving a sizeable amount of empty space on the bed's right side. Aaron tapped the empty side of the bed. "Head back, feet up."

Sawyer looked at him as though he had just sprouted an extra head.

"Trust me, it's for Juliet." He explained.

This time Sawyer moved without hesitation.

"She's not made of glass," Aaron said easily as he leaned in to adjust her against Sawyer's chest, encouraging him to spread his arm and wrap it around her, tucking her against his side. He could see that Sawyer's fingers were shaking and he looked more than a little shell-shocked.

"Try and relax," he encouraged in a quiet voice. "She's resting, her heart beat is strong. She may not be awake just yet, but I'm sure on some level she knows that yer right here with her."

Sawyer sighed, the Doc had a point. Her body was warm, not ice cold, like he had originally thought. If he closed his eyes he could pretend they were back in their tiny bedroom in Dharmaville.

"That's it," Aaron agreed and shifted to claim the chair that Sawyer had vacated. He flipped it around so that he was straddling it with his arms folded across the back.

"I know this sucks," he admitted and dropped his head on top of his arms. He was not quite meeting Sawyer's eyes, but not looking away from him either. He opened his mouth to say something, but hesitated for a moment. Then he swallowed and tried again.

"When Ellie was pregnant with Caitlyn I worked a lot. I was fresh out of residency and thought I could fix anything, save everyone…a real hotshot doc," he sighed. "I was at work more than I was home and Ellie was just so god damn supportive," he swallowed again, his words threatening to stick together. "…Ellie…Ellie went into preterm labor one night while I was on call and delivered at 23 weeks and 5 days. Do you know what the survivorship is of an infant that young?" Aaron asked, his voice hoarse.

Sawyer, who was absently stroking Juliet's hair, shook his head.

"10-35% survival and if they do survive there is a 91% that they will have some form of disability."

"Fuck…" Sawyer looked at the man, registering the hidden pain of his words.

"And there was _not_ one god damn thing I could do about it. " Aaron trailed. "136 days in hospital. Spent the first six of em' brooding about how I should haven been more attentive to Ellie; the next six worrying about the odds and a bunch of stupid shit that I couldn't change. But..." he swallowed. "I spent the next 2054 days being the best husband and father that I can be."

Aaron raised his head to look at Sawyer, who hadn't moved a muscle. "And now we have a perfectly happy, _healthy_ six-year old." He proclaimed as if he was still a little awestruck.

"Jesus Doc," Sawyer breathed, bewildered.

Aaron sighed heavily. "Yeah," he agreed. "Sometimes yer gonna feel absolutely helpless, but you know what you can do?"

Sawyer shook his head.

"Be there." Aaron said simply. "Ya cuddle her, ya hold her hand, ya read to her, and you tell her that you love her. Oh and for fuck sake, ya stop blaming yourself for everything that you did and didn't do."

"And sometimes you just need to punch something," he admitted, ruefully. "But, I don't recommend a window. However, if you do happen to punch a window—do it with your left hand because you're half drunk and don't really know how to punch things. That way when you cause irreparable damage to your flexor tendons, it's not quite as a big deal because you are right handed."

He held up his left hand to demonstrate his inability to completely close his fist.

Aaron wasn't sure he could count the numerous shades of emotions dancing across Sawyer's face so he closed his eyes and put his head down. He was content to sit with the man in companionable silence.


	7. Preseason Opener

**Five Minutes to Midnight**

**SEVEN: Preseason Opener**

_The Red Sox are Back: What to Watch For In the Preseason Opener._

Jack squinted at the text as he slid his finger along the touch screen, frowning. When the font didn't become clearer he lifted his phone closer to his face and changed the angle. Something hard slipped down over the bridge of his nose as he did so.

"You do realize you might actually be able to read that if you put on your glasses." A voice whispered in his ear. Even though she was standing behind him, he could picture her grinning as she helped him adjust the object behind his ears, leaning in to kiss his neck as she did so.

"I'm not squinting, Kate. I'm exercising my extra-ocular muscles." He explained in a tone she didn't believe for a second.

"You _need_ your glasses, Jack."

"Well, I never used to," he said with an air of petulance.

She smirked when he didn't make any motion to remove them, instead reaching for his mug of coffee on the table next to him.

Although the morning had proven to be cool and clear it was warm in the sun and Kate looked at Jack, sprawled off in his patio chair. He loved to spend his mornings like this, sitting on the back deck with his coffee. On this particular morning, he was later than usual. It had been well after 10 am before either of them had bothered to drag themselves out of bed, not that she was complaining. She barely stifled a yawn as she claimed the chair next to him.

"Keep you up too late last night?" He asked wryly.

"Nope. I'm surprised you can still keep up, old man."

"Old man?" He enunciated the words slowly, pretending to take offense. "Old man? Seriously, Kate? Exactly what part of last night deserved _that_ assessment? I'm 71 not 90."

"Oooooh, did I hit a sore spot?" she teased, the wrinkles under her eyelids crinkling as she smiled at him.

"Well it's not like I go around calling you old—"

"Careful where yer going with that sentence, Shephard." She interrupted earning an eye roll.

They sat in a comfortable silence: Jack reading through sports articles on MSNBC and Kate watching a squirrel flitter around the back yard.

"Isn't it weird not having the kids here?"

Jack looked up from his phone and raised an eyebrow at her. "Aaron lives less than 20 minutes away, Claire 30, and it might take 45 minutes to get to Sam's house if there's traffic."

"I just miss them." She admitted.

He reached to put his arm around her. "Yeah, me too," he admitted.

"You should call Aaron," she told him. "Today's the day."

Jack sighed and looked at his phone. "I know."

"You think I did last time?" He frowned and raised a hand to run through his gray hair.

"I'd like to think so," Kate assured him. "He needs to know he's doing a good job."

"Alright," Jack agreed, picking up his phone. He selected 'Aaron Austen' from the contact list and hit dial. Kate watched him silently.

"Hey Kiddo, Happy New Year!" He greeted, once he heard Aaron's voice. Then there was a pause and he waited for Aaron to come back on the line.

"Sorry, I had to run into work for a sec, Happy New Year, Jack. You and Mom have a nice evening?"

"Mmmmm…." Jack agreed. "I was on call so we did the whole 'Netflix and chill' thing."

"Wow I never thought I'd hear you say that in a sentence." He heard Aaron laugh.

"All the cool kids are doing it," He told the younger man, happily. "Not a word from the hospital, got to sit back and watch some fireworks, it was great."

"I'm sure Mom loved that."

"She did." He waited a long moment.

"How's Juliet doing?" He asked. Kate held her breath beside him.

"How…?" Aaron breathed and Jack could hear him swallow thickly.

"Everything that happened—happened." He offered by means of explanation. When Aaron did not respond he looked down at his knees and tried to think of something else to say.

"You saved our butts 33 years ago when I stupidly tried to reset time with a hydrogen bomb after we got stuck in the seventies."

"Please tell me you're kidding," Aaron rasped. Jack hoped he was sitting down because he sounded as though he might faint.

"Wish I was, Kiddo. The day after it happened I had a concussion puked my guts up in your spare bedroom. I think you started an IV?"

"Yeah, that happened like an hour ago, Jack" Aaron said blandly. Jack could picture him nervously fiddling with his shirt button or a ballpoint pen like he always did when he was frustrated.

"Well gee, a heads up would have been nice," he huffed after a long moment.

Jack sighed and shook his head, earning a frown from Kate. "Nope, you're taking the reins on this one," he explained.

"I'm sorry?…I'm what?" Now Aaron sounded annoyed.

Jack pinched the bridge of his nose. "Aaron, you helped us get back last time this happened. Now we need your help to do it again."

Aaron released a staggered breath. "Jack, you are currently unconscious in my spare bedroom while Kate is helping your granddaughter make a card for Sawyer who is teetering on the edge because Juliet is fighting for her life in the ICU. I am just barely holding it together here. Am I really the person that should be doing this?" He did very little to mask his exasperation.

Jack, on the other hand, chuckled. "You are 100% the person who should be doing this." He told him easily. "And I can't tell you how proud and thankful your mother and I are for helping us."

He heard Aaron snort on the other end of the line. "How?"

"Just take things one step at a time. Is Juliet doing ok?"

"Holding her own," Aaron admitted. "Claire was with us last night so she went to the OR with Juliet. Surgery went well. Sawyer and I are at the hospital now. He's in rough shape worrying about her and Jay's not much better off, bolted out of the house this morning. I think he was having some trouble with seeing his dead Dad passed out on my couch."

Jack closed his eyes. "I know." he whispered.

"You think we can fix it?" Aaron asked after a long moment. "For Jay and Juliet?"

"We sure as hell are going to try," Jack assured. "How's Sawyer coping?"

"Quiet and irritable." Aaron sighed. "I think he's going to be worse once he sees Juliet's condition, but I'm not sure how to help him."

"Tell him about your hand."

"Yeah, because that's my favourite subject to talk about," Aaron snapped.

"That may be, but you learned something important from it. And I know Sawyer. He responds well to stuff like that."

"Fine," Aaron grumbled. "Look... I...ah gotta go check on Juliet, but tell Mom I'll call you guys later."

"Will do." Jack smiled. "And Kiddo, you're doing a good job, okay?"

"Yeah, thanks Jack" Aaron whispered.

* * *

It was close to four when they returned from the hospital, entering the house to the smells of turkey dinner, which Kate seemed to be helping Ellie prepare. Aaron could tell they had bonded from the moment he padded into the kitchen and saw the two of them standing at the island, giggling over old photos on her iPad.

"And this is when Ja…a friend of ours," she corrected. "Slipped pink dye into his shampoo bottle for April Fools."

"Oh my god," Kate's smile broadened and she made a shocked choking sound as she looked at the picture. It depicted Aaron, who's hair was on the lighter end of the blonde spectrum, sporting a mop bright enough to make a flamingo jealous.

"Oh no fair. I thought we agreed to never mention that again." He deadpanned.

"But how can we not? It turned out so pink!" Ellie grinned. "And we have photographic evidence."

"Pink, looks good on ya, Doc" Sawyer, who was standing behind him, commented.

"Well gee, thanks." He said, but his expression softened when he realized that everyone was having a good laugh. Even if it was at his expense.

"Supper smells good," he commented. "Anything I can do to help?"

Ellie shook her head. "Kate has been an awesome help. Everything's in the oven."

"It was the least I could do," Kate said, looking uncomfortable.

"That's great," he said. "I'm just gonna head upstairs and check on Jack."

"He's been sleeping the whole day," Kate told him as they walked toward the front of the house and up the stairs. "I've been up a few times, but I didn't want to wake him."

"No, that's definitely a good idea. Sleeping is good for this type of injury." Aaron nudged the door open with his shoulder and stepped inside the dark room.

Jack blinked up at them.

"Hey there, Jack," he offered quietly.

Jack was laying on his back, head on the pillow with his left arm propped up and the covers drawn half way to his chest. He gazed at them warily.

"Who?" he grumbled, unable to mask the confusion from his voice.

Kate shook her head. "It's a long story, Jack. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, Kate. Would you please tell me what's going on?" He asked, sounding irritated as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. The movement looked like it took more energy than he wanted to admit.

Aaron could tell from the look on his face that he was alert enough now to be suspicious.

"You have a concussion," Kate told him.

"I think I would know if I had a concussion, Kate." He argued. "I'm a doctor."

Aaron flicked on the overhead lights, making Jack wince. He quickly flicked them off again.

"Sensitivity to light," Aaron noted. Jack gazed back unpleasantly at him.

"You've also been vomiting and Kate says you lost consciousness earlier," He tried to explain, but Jack wouldn't hear any of it as he stood up.

"You need to lie back down, Jack." Kate tried with a forceful tone.

"Don't tell me what I need to do," Jack breathed. He was bent double with both feet planted on the floor. His IV line appeared to be keeping him from advancing any further towards them, but did little to reign in his temper and confusion at the situation. She knew the stressed look on his face all too well. The way he was wobbly pacing back and forth with the big vein on his neck pulsing as he resisted the urge to wring his hands. There was a moment of silence before he laughed humorlessly and shook his head.

"This is all some sort of sick joke right? Sarah leaves me a week ago and this is my father's way of getting me to 'take it easy'." His voice dropped so low that Kate almost couldn't hear him. She winced, his ex-wife had undoubtedly moved on years ago and his father had been dead since before the island.

"Okay, so we're not quite there yet," Aaron swallowed, looking at Kate.

"It's alright," he whispered. "This is just the confusion part of the concussion. It's super common, we just have to humour him and wait it out."

"Jack, you _need_ to sit back down and rest." Kate looked him square in the eyes and pushed his chest so that he fell backward on the bed. The image of him confused and alone made it hard to write Jack off as a hopeless cause, as much as she knew she should when he called in his drunken stupor every Friday night. Day after day he had forced her to watch him deteriorate into the shell of the man he once was; the Jack that was her best friend, her fiancé slowly retreating inside himself as if he had finally given up on everything, including her and Aaron. If anything, he'd gotten worse since they returned to the island, became more passive and withdrawn. Kate couldn't understand what the problem was― if she of all people could force herself to stop running than why couldn't he?

His features were indistinct in the dim light. He adjusted himself, awkwardly leaning back on the pillows, feeling shaky from the overload of adrenaline. As his heart-rate slowed and his breath returned he glared at Kate.

"Kate, what are you—" He blinked at her before covering his eyes with his hand, as if he was in pain.

Aaron watched the interaction and slid his phone out of his pocket to text Jack:

Aaron: Do I need a CT head?  
Jack: Why did you fall?  
Aaron: Really not funny. You know who for.  
Jack: Does he meet the Canadian CT Head Rules criteria?  
Aaron: Ha ha. No. Just very out of it.  
Jack: So he's behaving like a bad concussion.  
Aaron: Just being cautious. It's _your_ brain.  
Jack: Yeah, and I appreciate that. Really I do. You know I was going through a rough patch at the time?  
Aaron: Yeah. Anything in your system I should know about?  
Jack: Narcs mostly, hadn't had EtOH in about a week.  
Aaron: That explains why the confusion is worse. I guess I need to give you benzos if this has an EtOH withdrawal component to it. Please tell me you are not going to go into DTs on me?  
Jack: I hope not. You know how to do this Kiddo. It's going to be fine.

Aaron shook his head and tucked his phone away. He took advantage of Jack's momentary preoccupation with Kate to hang another bag of fluids.

"Alright, how are we doing over here?" He asked the pair, noting that Kate was sitting on the bed engaged in a heated discussion with Jack.

"Okay, joke's over now." Jack snapped. "Kate, I need you to tell me _who_ the hell this guy is," he shakily pointed at Aaron, "…and what the hell is going on!"

The anger bubbled up inside of her. "Is that what you think this is?" She wheezed. "Tell me, are you really that thick headed that you think this is one giant trick?"

"And what do you expect me to believe?" He shot back as she got to her feet.

"The truth. That there was an accident and you hit your head and now you are confused." Her voice was raised, the venom in her words making him lower his head.

"Okay, Kate. How about you head down stairs and I'll catch up with you in a bit." Aaron interjected making her look as if she'd been stricken. She didn't make any effort to argue with him and he waited until she exited the room before he perched on the side of the bed.

Jack was staring straight ahead at the wall. "I don't know what's going on," he grumbled after a moment.

"Do you remember being on the island with Kate, Sawyer, and Juliet?" Aaron prompted, more so to distract him from the syringe he was screwing into his IV port.

"We ended up in the 70's." His brow furrowed.

"Yeah," Aaron agreed. "That must have been pretty weird."

"I wanted to forget," Jack said thickly. He looked like he was trouble finding his words.

"That's just some diazepam you're feeling now, Jack." Aaron assured, earning a frown from the other man.

"Why are you giving me benzos?" His eyes were starting to feel watery and he wanted nothing more to try and fill in all the gaps in his memory.

"I think you may be at risk for alcohol withdrawal," Aaron admitted.

"Oh," Jack's expression faltered. He suddenly seemed preoccupied with his trembling fingers. He vaguely remembered sleepless nights drinking along in his apartment half stoned out of his mind. He remembered trying to find the island and convincing Kate that they had to go back then everything started to become scrambled.

"Why the hell can't I remember?" His frustration bubbled out of him and tore through the room with the ferocity of a hurricane.

"Hey," Aaron patted his hand. "It's just the concussion. You know these things can present like this, but get better with rest. It'll come back. You just need to give it time."

Jack gave him an irritated look and flopped back against the pillows like a petulant child.

"How do we know each other, exactly?" He asked after a moment of staring up at Aaron and remembering that the man was a total stranger to him.

Aaron chewed on his bottom lip. "We met on the island," he explained, relieved when the man didn't ask him to elaborate.

"You're gonna be okay, Jack." He gave his hand a light squeeze and stood to turn on the TV that was propped on the dresser. He flicked it to MSNBC Sports.

"Sox aren't doing so hot. Never know though, we'll have to see how they do in the preseason opener." He teased and set the remote next to Jack's arm. He was sure he heard the man emit a low snort. Jack was stubbornly pretending not to be paying attention to the flickering screen.

"You rest. Kate and I will be up to check in on you later," Aaron told him as he stepped out of the room.

From his position on the landing Aaron could see Kate sulking on the couch in the front room where they had spoken earlier.

"Sorry about that," he apologized, as he walked down the stairs. "I really did not want him getting too worked up with Caitlyn around."

She barely made eye contact with him as he sat on the piano bench across from her. The corner of Aaron's mouth twitched in sympathy. "I'm sorry Kate, I know you two have had a rough few months."

"No...no it's fine." She waved her off. "Jack had his issues. I really lost him long before he tried to detonate a hydrogen bomb to try and make it so we never met."

Aaron winced. "That…ah…yeah…I don't really know how to comment on that one."

Kate shifted so she was looking out the window, unwilling to admit that it felt like everything they had ever shared together had been stripped bare, leaving what was left feeling raw. "There's nothing you can say. We were happy together. Then Jack got into drugs and alcohol, became obsessed with finding the island and ruined everything we had. But you already know all of this don't you?" She looked back at Aaron. "Did your Kate ever talk about him?"

Aaron chewed on his lip. "I'm not sure how much we should talk about that," he sighed. He didn't want to be the one to tell her that his Kate and done a hell of a lot more than _talk_ about the man—she had married and had children with him.

"But…" he hesitated. "You need to remember that Jack _isn't_ dead. We all make mistakes and get a little lost sometimes—it's just a part of life." The way he said it made Kate swallow thickly.

Aaron ran a hand along his face. "I gave him 5mg of diazepam so he doesn't go into alcohol withdrawal. It has the added effect of making him incredibly chill for the moment. So about we leave things be for now?"

He glanced out the window and easily changed the subject. "It's a really nice day out and I just happened to have a six-year-old who got a new bike for Christmas. Would you like to join us in taking it for a spin?"

He was relieved to see the smile return to Kate's face.


	8. Snow dogs, Netflix, and Valium

**Five Minutes to Midnight**

**EIGHT: Snow Dogs, Netflix, and Valium**

They had slept well into the evening. Jay stirred to something cold and wet pressed hard against his cheek. It whined at him with an intensity that made the bed vibrate.

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me," he grumbled. His eyes adjusted to an uncomfortable close up of a white muzzle just in time for the lolling tongue attached to it to slather his face.

"Son of a bitch," he grunted and frantically wiped his face in the sheets.

Claire, who was tucked against his chest, barely stifled a laugh.

"Good evening, Koda" She greeted and propped herself up on her elbows to greet the massive gray and white Alaskan Malamute that was towering over the bed.

Koda cocked her head and let out a guttural "Woo woo woo," before she raised a paw and stepped up onto the bed much to Claire's delight. Jay hissed as the dog stood over him, tail wagging with enough force to send the book he had placed on the night table flying across the room.

"Explain to me again why we're looking after your brother's fuckin' dog?" Jay's words only enticed the creature to resume her onslaught against his face. "Actually no, I take it back," he growled between licks. "A beagle is a dog, a golden retriever is a dog. That—" he pointed at Koda. "Is a fucking dire wolf."

"It's only another week," Claire chided. "And you know Sam is on assignment and couldn't take her with him."

"I know very well where Paw Patrol is. I happen to work with the guy five days a week. I'm just say'n why couldn't he take it to a kennel or something?"

"Koda is a _girl_ not an 'it' and she's part of the family." She explained patiently.

"She ain't got lady parts does she? She's an _it_ ," his tone was firm, earning an eye roll from Claire.

Koda barked and nudged him with her head, tail wagging.

"Get off ya overgrown mutt," he grumbled, but his words didn't have much force and Claire knew he secretly liked the dog. She imagined them getting their own someday.

"She probably just needs to go out," Claire offered.

"Well fine," Jay slurred the word, disgruntled. "It ain't like a man can get any sleep around here anyway."

He disentangled himself and padded across the hardwood in only his boxers. Claire admired the view from where she was laying.

"Come on ya stupid Wookie," he grumbled. Koda jumped off the bed and trotted after him. Claire could hear her nails clicking on the stairs.

Jay rejoined her in bed a few minutes later. She didn't realized she had nodded off again until the monition of his body hitting the mattress woke her. His arm found her shoulder and he pulled her back against his chest.

"If we don't get up, we won't sleep tonight," Claire complained.

He cocked an eyebrow. "You _really_ got a problem with that?"

She smiled and reached to comb his rumpled hair with her fingers. "I have a full OR list in the morning."

He stretched languidly and snagged his phone off the bed side table—6:14 PM.

"There's some leftover Chinese in the fridge," he offered.

"My kind of breakfast," she craned her neck to kiss the corner of his lips before reaching for her own phone. There were half a dozen missed texts from Aaron.

"Doc writing you a novel or what?" Jay could tell it was Aaron from the tiny photo of him on the top of the message screen on her phone.

"Dad…er…Jack has a bad concussion and Aaron thinks he's potentially going through alcohol withdrawal."

"Well ain't that just dandy. Didn't think yer Dad was the boozer type."

Claire shrugged. "He's not. But he had a really hard time with things just after they were rescued and Aaron was a baby. I think it was a lot of survivor's guilt and PTSD. He went a little crazy for a while even tried to commit suicide."

Jay stared at her, unable to mask his shock.

"Yeah I know. Doesn't sound like Dad at all. But he eventually figured it out—"

"And then he turned into fucking Super Dad," Jay finished for her.

The expression on Claire's face was unreadable. "Alright," she huffed. "I think it's time we talked about what exactly is going on with you, huh?"

"What are you my psychiatrist now?" He retorted.

"No," she said simply. "I'm your fiancé and I happen to love you very much."

Jay looked at her harshly, tears glittering in his eyes, but it was obvious he was fighting himself not to let them fall.

"Jay," Claire sat up in bed and cupped his cheek. "Let me help you."

He inhaled sharply through his nose. "It's just fucking seeing him…" he blurted.

"He and Ma got into it and I took a swing at em' because she was crying. I didn't even ask to hear his side of the story. He didn't even punch me back. Just fucking got in his truck and drove away."

"Oh Jay," She brought her arms up and closed them around his neck. "I'm sure he was just going to cool down. What happened to your Dad wasn't anyone's fault. He crashed his truck because had an aneurysm in his head that blew it's not something that—"

"His last memory of me was a stupid fucking fight that I had no business stickin' my nose in to." Jay snapped.

"You know how much he loved you and your Mom." Claire began to run her hand up and down his back. She felt him take a shaky breath. He was rigid and did not reciprocate the contact. James' death was a sore point for him and she'd never been able to get him to say more than a few words about it.

"I know it's hard," she soothed.

He grumbled something she didn't understand and she could tell that he was feeling self-conscious about his earlier outburst. She hugged him tighter and didn't protest when he wriggled out of her grasp. He pointed to the spot on the bed where her phone was chiming, desperate to change the subject.

"Ain't ya gonna get that?"

"Huh..." She shook her head and offered him a lopsided smile.

He blinked at her. "Now what?"

"Sam's apparently in Antarctica," Claire showed him her phone, which displayed a photo of the man in question standing on a rugged coastline with a colony of Adélie penguins in the background.

"Well than, he should have took his fucking snow dog with him."

* * *

Supper was a quiet affair. They sat at the table, in the kitchen, and made easy small talk. Aaron was doing his best to keep things light as he watched Sawyer push slices of turkey around his plate with his fork. After his visit to the ICU the man had fallen into a stunned silence that everyone but Caitlyn seemed to respect.

"Why are you doing that?" Her head was cocked to the side as she watched his fork curiously.

"Doin' what?" Sawyer blinked.

"Playing with your food. Daddy says you are supposed to _eat_ your food _not_ play with it, so you can grow big and strong."

Aaron winced. Sawyer looked like he wanted to say something, but changed his mind at the last minute. Kate was having trouble masking her own amusement.

"Well if yer Daddy says so." He grumbled and scooped a forkful of mashed potatoes into his mouth. "Happy now?" He asked after he swallowed.

Caitlyn nodded seriously. "Yes, maybe you'll even get dessert now."

"Lucky me."

"Okay…" Aaron interjected. "How does everyone feel about movie night after supper? We can break out the Netflix maybe make some popcorn?"

"What's _the Netflix_?" Kate questioned.

"Video streaming service. Instead of requiring an external device to play movies or TV shows on, it all just plays off the internet, which is hooked into the TV." Ellie explained.

"Well ain't that just dandy. Ya'll got flying cars yet?" Sawyer asked.

Aaron grinned. "Nothing commercial. Although about 20 years ago, Elon Musk got bored and launched one of his Teslas into space. That sort of flew."

"Until it got taken out by an asteroid," Ellie added.

"True." Aaron pointed his fork at her in acknowledgement.

Sawyer blinked. "Who?"

"The guy who founded Tesla, HyperLoop, and SpaceX. Any of this ring a bell?"

Sawyer shook his head.

Aaron shrugged. "He's also doing some interesting work with neurotechnology. You should follow him on Twitter. He'll be a good one to watch."

Aaron frowned at the blank look Sawyer was giving him. "Seriously, no Twitter? Ouch. That's got to be coming up soon."

"Honey, these guys still think the iPod is a pretty neat idea," Ellie joked, earning a grin from Aaron.

"Fair," he agreed. "You'll be seeing some pretty cool advances in technology come your way soon. Once Steve Jobs figures out that combining telecommunications with entertainment is the way to go, the next few years are just gonna be a landslide of smart phones, and applications and—"

"People like my husband who can't go 15 minutes without checking his iPhone," Ellie finished for him.

"Nah uh…I lasted _at least_ an hour last time we bet on it," Aaron protested.

"And got to do all the dishes for an entire month because the bet was you couldn't last a day!" Ellie teased.

Kate smiled at their easy banter, observing how Aaron's eyes sparkled as he interacted with his wife. She could tell they were in love and felt a sense of overwhelming relief to know that Aaron had turned out okay and she hadn't done anything to screw him up too badly.

"So how did you two meet?" She wondered aloud.

The grin on Aaron's face widened to the point she could see all of his front teeth. "I may have accidentally set her sleeve on fire in an organic chemistry lab while we were at Yale. Then I asked her out for coffee."

Sawyer raised an eyebrow at Ellie. "…And you found this an attractable quality in a mate?" he asked skeptically.

Ellie blushed and shook her head. "Nope. I ignored his…" she paused. "Rather _spirited_ attempts to apologize."

"Why do I get the feeling there's more to this story?" Kate teased, catching the look the pair exchanged. Aaron's cheeks reddened.

"What did you do?" She asked.

He was reluctant to answer, but relented when he saw how bright her expression was. "Sent her flowers every week for like three months."

"Most of which I threw out." Ellie admitted.

"Seriously?" Sawyer scoffed. "Play'n hard to get er what?"

"Hey, a minute ago you complained that I entertained the idea in the first place," Ellie huffed in mock offense.

"Yeah, but when a man's making an honest try."

"Well, she did keep the little cards," Aaron said proudly.

"Yeah," Ellie rolled her eyes. "Mainly because of how corny they were."

"Oh do tell," Kate beamed.

"Well, I was an English lit student at the time so he thought he'd impress me by writing apology notes in the form of haikus."

"Wow, Doc. That's just sad," Sawyer commented.

Aaron took a sip of water from his glass. "She _kept_ them," he stressed.

"And after his haiku phase he dappled in limericks, which was fun because I'm not actually sure he knows _what_ a limerick is let alone how to structure one."

"Hey," Aaron complained. "I gave it the old college try."

"That you did," Ellie laughed.

"So how did Ms. Daisy over here throwing out a bunch o'flowers get ya the girl?" Sawyer asked. Aaron was pleased to see that he seemed to be eating his supper.

"Oh then he broke out the guitar."

"You can play guitar?" Kate asked Aaron.

"Nooooo." Ellie interrupted and shook her head dramatically. "He can't."

"Gee thanks, El." He muttered.

Ellie ignored him. "So, I went out for coffee with him just to get him to stop."

"And dinner," Aaron added. "We totally went to dinner at that Chinese spot on the corner of Duke."

"Yes," Ellie agreed. "Then we went to dinner."

"Daddy," Caitlyn complained, bored with all the adult talk.

"Yes, Sweetheart?"

"Can I go play with my toys now? I ate all my vegetables?"

Aaron reached down to ruffle her hair. "Alllllll your vegetables?" He droned.

"Then what's that I see right there?" He pointed to a small slice of carrot with his fork.

Caitlyn reached for it and put it in her mouth, grinning.

The rest of the evening passed in relative ease. Caitlyn, Aaron, Ellie, and Kate settled in the living room with a movie and a bowel of popcorn while Sawyer raided Aaron's bookshelf, selecting an old, dusty paperback copy of _Game of Thrones._ By 9:30 Caitlyn had fallen asleep in Ellie's lap, Sawyer was dozing, and Aaron excused himself to heat up some soup for Jack. Kate saw what he was doing and willed herself to head back upstairs and check on the man, hesitating only briefly after their last interaction.

Jack barely cracked a smile when Kate walked into the room. His eyes were bloodshot and rimmed with dark circles that made his lids droop down to his cheeks. She fought the urge to cup his chin and tell him everything would be alright. She knew that in his mind they weren't supposed to comfort each other like that, to let him know that she understood his deepest fears, that this wasn't something he could control, and most importantly, how bitterly sorry she was for letting him fall the way he did.

"Hey. You look tired." She decided to start off easy, but cringed at her meagre attempt at small talk.

"No. I'm fine," he brushed off her concern, but he failed to hide the rawness in his voice. The TV droned on in the background and Kate had to strain to hear him.

"I'm fine, Kate" he repeated firmly.

She must have looked doubtful.

Both of his hands were balled into tight fists that bunched the blankets draped over his lap. It was impossible to miss the tension in his body language, every muscle was standing at attention. She didn't press the issue when she noticed the slight tremor running from his shoulder all the way down to the tips of his fingers. It worsened when he flexed his hand.

Kate's expression faltered as he painfully rubbed bridge of his nose. "Jack?" She started.

He waved off the concern in her eyes with a frown.

"Just a headache," his voice was firm, but more than a little breathless.

Aaron chose that moment to knock and nudge the door open with his back.

"Hey Jack, I brought you up some soup," he said in a soft voice. He had a bowl in one hand and a glass of water on the other.

"Ellie made it Christmas Eve so we froze some. You up for something to eat?"

Jack stared at Aaron as if trying to place him, but his headache got the better of him so he nodded weakly and allowed Aaron to hand him the bowl.

He picked up the spoon, but had to set it down again because his hands were shaking too much. Kate could hear a faint clinking as the spoon rattled against the glass.

"It's okay." Kate made a motion to help him with it, but Aaron subtly shook his head and gestured to the syringe that was sticking out of his breast pocket.

"How about I give you some more diazepam to settle down those shakes, Jack?"

He suspected that Jack was on edge as it was and would not take kindly to any attempts to help him with his soup. He didn't protest as Aaron administered the drug and disconnected the IV line that was tethering Jack to the wall. He would leave the catheter in for as long as Jack would tolerate it. The IV Valium worked faster and it would buy him time to procure some oral tablets from the hospital.

Kate could see the change in Jack within minutes. The tension melted from his muscles and his shoulders sagged. The frown lines around his lips softened.

"That stuff works well," she commented.

Aaron shrugged. "It's a bit of a balancing act. Valium is a good drug for alcohol withdrawal because it prevents the nasty seizures, delirium, and autonomic instability you can get if you quit cold turkey. The problem is, I have to get his symptoms settled and then taper down the dose as quickly as possible. Otherwise I'm just substituting one addictive drug with another."

"Is that going to be an issue?" Kate asked.

"Nah, he'll get another dose or two of the IV stuff then I'll get him some pills to take at regular intervals and slowly decrease the dose. They take a lot longer to absorb so he'll probably have some bleed through symptoms, but it'll keep him out of the woods from the scary stuff. The IV formulation is also helpful to keep some of the concussion symptoms at bay. If he keeps that catheter in his hand we're golden."

"What are we talking about?" Jack asked sleepily, realizing he had been left out of a conversation that he couldn't quite follow.

"Nothing, Jack. Eat your soup." Kate told him.

Jack blinked sleepily, remembering the soup in his lap and picked up the spoon again.

Aaron smiled. "See, totally chill."

They watched him eat for a few moments, managing half a bowel before he pushed it away and tried to stand up.

"Jack," Kate warned, but he ignored her and wobbled to his feet.

"Washroom is just out here, Jack," Aaron said knowingly. He reached for the other man's bicep and guided him across the landing with Kate in tow. Jack glared at him when he made a monition to follow him into the bathroom, but seemed to be staying up right. Aaron raised his hands and took a step backward.

"He's had 2 liters of IV fluid this afternoon," Aaron explained to Kate after Jack had closed the door. He hesitated for a moment and then locked eyes with her.

"Are you alright staying in there with him tonight? We were going to make up the pull-out in the den for Sawyer."

Aaron had difficulty reading the look Kate gave him, but she nodded. It hadn't slipped past him how hot and cold her interactions with Jack had been throughout the day. One minute she was holding his hand, the next she was snapping at him. Growing up, he was no stranger to witnessing such behavior, but it never lasted very long and they typically managed to talk it out. He was hoping that by forcing them in the same room they would do the same.

"He looks better than this morning," Aaron commented. "No more vomiting. Reasonably steady on his feet. I think we're making progress."

Kate looked doubtful, but withheld comment as the bathroom door opened. Jack barely made eye contact with them as he shuffled out and back into the spare bedroom without guidance. He then crawled into bed and closed his eyes.

"Did you want to talk about it?" Aaron offered as he pulled the door ajar and headed into his own bedroom. He sat on the cedar chest that abutted the broad cove window overlooking his backyard and the park with the trail-way beyond it.

He watched Kate expectantly as she hovered above him and chewed her lip.

"Why did Jack turn to drinking?" He prompted after a moment. He already knew the answer, but Kate didn't need to know that.

She shook her head and scoffed.

"He just couldn't handle it anymore."

"Handle it?" Aaron echoed. Masking his smile when she moved to join him on the chest.

When she looked at her feet and didn't answer he offered her a patient smile. "My guess is he was totally freaked out about me being his nephew."

"Jack's just not a good father figure. I thought he was once." Kate admitted. "He used to read to you every night before bed and everything was just so perfect," she said wistfully. "Too perfect," she muttered and he could tell her eyes were growing misty. "He even proposed to me."

"That's a pretty big step," Aaron agreed and did his best to keep his tone light. "You think he would have done that if he wasn't ready to commit?"

Kate raised her head to glare at him, suddenly feeling defensive. "Would you let someone who is drunk and stoned out of his mind all the time be around your daughter?"

Aaron swallowed. This conversation was not going where he had hoped it would.

"Nope," he agreed patiently. "Caitlyn is not allowed near boys, drugs, or alcohol until she's at least thirty. I have friends in high places, so anyone attempting to date her will be vetted to the highest extent by the FBI."

That drew a smile out of her.

"Oh, I am extremely serious," he grinned and then switched gears. "So, when did Jack start drinking?"

Kate's expression hardened, but she relented when she realized that Aaron was in no way trying to blame her for what happened. His expression was mild and patient.

"Shortly after he proposed," she sighed. "He became really distant and paranoid."

"Paranoid?" Aaron frowned. He knew Jack and the man was anything but.

"Jack has trust issues." Kate explained. "He went through a bad divorce before the crash because his ex-wife cheated on him. He became very concerned with where I was going, who I was talking to." She shook her head. "He didn't trust me. Then he started working late, which made him even more suspicious of me and he just couldn't handle it anymore."

"And then he went into meltdown mode?' Aaron finished for her.

Kate nodded ever so slightly and dropped her head. "It's like he wasn't Jack anymore."

Aaron paused for a moment to consider her statement.

"And just who is Jack?" He asked, earning a confused look from Kate.

"I mean so far yer painting the picture of an obsessive workaholic who fell into drugs and alcohol because he's emotionally stunted, insecure, and has extremely sucky coping skills."

Kate shook her head vehemently. "He's probably the bravest person I know. We all crashed on that island and he took care of every single one of us. He's kind, and caring, and worked his butt off to keep everyone safe 24 hours a day."

Aaron dipped his head appreciatively. "Sounds like quite the guy. So, he's just emotionally stunted and has extremely sucky coping skills?" He teased.

The corner of Kate's mouth curled and almost upturned into a smile. "Jack is Jack," she sighed. "One minute he's leading all of us to safety the next he's trying to detonate a hydrogen bomb."

"Yeah," Aaron drawled. " _Definitely_ gonna need to work on those coping skills." His tone was easy and the lightheartedness of it seemed to relax Kate.

"You're good at this," she admitted.

"I'm sorry?" Aaron asked, genuinely confused.

"Getting people to spill their guts."

"Ah," Aaron grinned. "Well, I am older and wiser by like six years," he teased.

Kate closed her eyes and shook her head. "Last time I saw ya you were still in diapers, Buddy"

"Oh, I can assure you I've _long_ since grown out of them," Aaron said proudly as he stood and stretched. "Can tie my shoes and everything."

"Quite the accomplishment," Kate retorted and placed her hands on her knees as she rose to her feet.

"Top shoe-tie-er in ma class," Aaron flashed her a grin and started walking out of the room. "And Kate," he craned his head around to look back at her. "Try talking to him. You might be surprised what you find."


	9. Uncle Jack

**Five Minutes to Midnight**

**NINE: Uncle Jack**

**This chapter is once again dedicated to DimpleCurlAeternaGirl for helping me get in touch with Jack's** **character. Thank you, you are the best!**

January second fell on a Monday, resulting in a long weekend with no regularly scheduled general surgery ORs. Aaron contemplated the convenience of not having to go into work as he reached to open the drawer under his Keurig. He analyzed his coffee selection. Ellie would never know if he snuck one of her _Folgers_ vanilla biscotti pods, but there was also hazelnut. If he went for a light roast he'd be wired all day and sometimes the extra caffeine gave him heart palpations. On the other hand, he was on call for the next 24 hours and expected to be awake. The Sumatran blend was a little bitter, but overall a well balanced choice. After a moment of deliberation, he finally settled on the hazelnut and tossed the pod in the brewer.

He then reached in the cupboard to pull out the silly mug that Caitlyn had given him for Christmas. It was white and a mock of the _Starbucks_ logo, forgoing the double-tailed mermaid for a Stormtrooper with the text: "Star Wars Coffee: May the froth be with you" around the outside. He slid the mug under the dispenser and selected his brew settings on the touch screen. The machine whizzed to life and he trotted over to the fridge to grab the milk.

The lock screen on his iPad flashed displaying the photo Claire had taken of him, Ellie, and Caitlyn huddled in front of their tree on Christmas Eve. He grinned at it and read the multiple iMessage notifications that had triggered the image.

Sam Shephard:  
\- Happy New Year and Greetings from the Bottom of the World!  
\- Thought I'd head south for a little R&R after work wrapped up! *palm tree emoji*  
\- And you thought your fireworks were cool!

Aaron flicked the screen with the pads of his fingers to reveal a selfie of Sam looking ridiculous in a full-blown beard and the southern lights— _aurora australis_ blazing in the background. Aaron rolled his eyes at the goofy grin on his face. Without the frost-covered beard, the younger man looked eerily like Jack.

The second photo Sam had sent was even more extreme. He was wearing SCUBA gear and waving at the camera from a hole in the ice. Only his head and torso were visible, the rest of his body submerged in the frigid waters. There was another line of text on the bottom of the screen: This is me in my office. I hope you appreciate yours.

Aaron was about to tell him that he very much "appreciated" his and ask why he thought that R&R and hypothermia were mutually exclusive, but he remembered his abandoned coffee mug and reached to stir in the milk.

"Dammit, Jack! You're bleeding. You need to sit back down!" He heard Kate yell.

He glanced at the clock on the microwave—7:01 AM. _Well, looks like the entire house is up now_ , he thought and hoped Caitlyn continued her reputation for being a heavy sleeper.

There was a loud thumping on the stairs.

"Jack!" Kate again.

"Jack, please just stop and listen to me."

"I don't know where we are, Kate! How do you not have a problem with this?" Jack retorted in a loud voice.

"Because if you'd just let me explain…" her voice was softer now.

"We need to find everyone and figure out what the hell is going on!" he hissed.

Aaron heard stomping and could see Jack turning the corner into the entrance way. He was wearing his blue t-shirt and jeans that Ellie had washed for him. He seemed to be inspecting his surroundings.

"We are not on the island anymore," he declared to Kate, who was still standing on the stairs.

"No." She agreed.

"So it's 2004 again and the plane didn't crash?" Jack breathed, looking frightened.

Kate closed her eyes and shook her head slowly. Jack straightened up and whipped around before she could continue. He caught sight of Aaron watching him from the kitchen and froze.

"Who the hell are you?" He snapped. It was obvious that Jack did not seem to remember their interactions yesterday.

Aaron met Jack's eyes and reached for his mug, taking a long sip of his coffee as he leaned against the island. Jack continued to stare at him.

"Err…good morning?" He offered after he had swallowed.

Kate walked past Jack and pulled out one of the stools to sit on.

"Coffee?" Aaron offered.

She nodded.

"We've got hazelnut, vanilla biscotti, Sumatran, Starbucks light roast…" He riddled off.

"The light one please," she told him.

Aaron inclined his head toward Jack, who was still standing several feet outside the kitchen area staring at Kate in shock.

"Jack, would you like a coffee?"

"I would _like_ to know what the hell is going on," he ground out, feeling very out of touch with the situation.

Aaron's vision snagged on a line of red on Jack's hand where he had yanked the IV without applying pressure. It was still oozing.

"Alright," Aaron agreed gently. "We can chat about that, but would ya mind if I gave ya a bandage to put pressure on that hand? Yer kinda dripping all over the hardwood."

Jack blinked back at him, apparently at a loss for words.

Aaron toed open one of the lower drawers in the island and pulled a wad of gauze out of his first-aid kit. He slid it across the counter to Kate who stood to press it against the dorsal surface of Jack's left hand. He instinctively moved his right to maintain the pressure she was holding. This time, when she returned to her stool he followed her and sat, continuing to stare at Aaron.

Aaron made two more mugs of coffee and set them down in front of the pair, followed by milk and sugar. He reached for his own mug.

"Kate, would you please tell me what's going on?" Jack sighed, resigned.

"We time traveled again Jack, but we didn't end up in 2004."

"When?" He grumbled and rubbed his temples, staring down at the coffee Aaron had offered him.

"Los Angeles, 2040—January…2nd?" She looked to Aaron for confirmation on the date.

He nodded.

Jack winced and looked incredibly guilty. "And this guy?" He shakily pointed to Aaron.

Kate glanced up at Aaron and hesitated.

"He…err found us when we came through."

Jack nodded again. "Who is he?"

Some time ago, Aaron had decided that Darth Vader's _The Imperial March_ was an appropriate work ringtone, which he kept on full volume so that he would wake up if he happened to be sleeping. When his phone blared, Jack nearly jumped out of his skin. Aaron walked toward where it was charging on the counter and gave Jack an apologetic look.

"Hello…Oh hey Mac, what have ya got for me?"

Kate watched Aaron putter around the kitchen as he spoke. "What's his Ranson score? Hmmmm…yeah. OK…and you guys confirmed gall stone pancreatitis because the only way I can take him to the OR is if you have radiographic evidence of an obstructing stone, in which case we can put him on the list for a lap chole on Friday provided he settles down…excellent, yeah that's good. Keep him NPO with maintenance fluids and admit him under me if that's cool?…great! Thanks, Pal."

Jack's eyes widened as he listened to Aaron's conversation.

Aaron hung up and shoved the phone in the back pocket of his jeans. "Sorry," he apologized. "On call today."

Jack frowned. "You're a surgeon?" He asked.

"Yeah, gen surg with a fellowship in trauma." Aaron explained and shuffled back to lean against the island so that he was facing Jack and Kate.

Jack stared at him some more. There was something uncomfortably familiar about the light blue eyes that met his gaze.

"Kate, _who_ is this?" Jack asked again, frustration evident in his tone.

Kate sighed. "This is Aaron, Jack."

Jack looked as though someone had punched him in the gut. His eyes were wide, mouth open, and his breathing was ragged. He flinched when Kate put her hand on his back and murmured something he couldn't quite hear.

"It's okay, Jack," She whispered. "It's alright."

Jack shrugged away from her touch and continued to stare in a way that was making Aaron squirm.

"Oh good, Dr. Do-Right is up," Aaron winced as Sawyer rounded the corner of the living room clad in a red and white plaid button down shirt and jeans. His hands were stuffed loosely in his pockets.

"Mornin'," Aaron tried to redirect. "Hopefully, the den was comfortable enough?"

"It was fine, thanks, Doc. You introduce yourself to Jackass yet?"

"We're…. working on it." Aaron said slowly.

Jack was still sitting in stunned silence.

"The bomb detonated. Juliet, Sawyer, you and I ended up in 2040 where Aaron found us." Kate tried to explain.

Jack nodded and swallowed again, ignoring Aaron for the time being. One thing at a time. His brain was sluggish and he was having trouble processing that the little boy that he abandoned was standing right in front of him.

"Juliet's okay?" He asked hopefully after a long moment of consideration.

"She's in the fucking ICU because of you, Jackass!" Sawyer snarled and looked as though he was getting ready to charge the man.

"Sawyer…I…" Jack's voiced cracked. His words had turned Jack's blood to ice. "….oh god…"

Sawyer took a swing at him before he could react. The momentum propelled Jack backward, but Kate caught him by the shoulders, preventing him from falling off the stool.

"Sawyer!" Kate screamed.

Aaron dove at the man before he could land another punch. He had a slight height advantage and managed to awkwardly walk him back a few steps.

"Please stop," His voice was low and he dropped his head close to Sawyer's ear. "Caitlyn's upstairs and I _really_ don't want her to get scared."

Aaron weakly had him by the collar and he felt Sawyer relax against his fingertips, his expression guilty.

"Sorry, Doc." He muttered and backed up further as Aaron let him go, illustrating that he was not going to take another shot at Jack.

"DAMNMIT JACK!"

Aaron spun at the sound of Kate's voice followed by the front door opening and slamming shut. "Kate, whoa…Kate hold up!" He slid across the hardwood in his socks and grabbed her by the sleeve before she reached the porch. She froze and looked at him, wide-eyed.

"I think he's been through a lot in the past 24 hours," Aaron said a little breathlessly. "Let's give him a minute."

He glanced toward the front window and could see Jack slowly making his way down the cul-de-sac.

"It's a quiet neighborhood and after yesterday I really don't think he's gonna get very far," he tried to joke. "You've had a day to process it. He's been concussed, withdrawing off alcohol and probably feels guilty as shit to boot." Aaron reasoned. "And based on what you've told me, I'm not sure seeing me has helped matters. So, let's just let him get some air for a moment?"

Kate looked uncertain, but eventually she nodded and walked back to the kitchen where Sawyer was still standing, looking down at his feet.

"Did you have to go off on him like that?" Kate snapped at him, glaring.

"Pot callin' the kettle black, Freckles?" Sawyer grunted.

"Alright, that's enough, the both of you," Aaron growled, using a low tone that neither of them had heard him take before. "I know yer both freaked out and stressed, and you have good reason to be, but I will _not_ have anymore of this bullshit in my house, the one which I share with my wife and my _six_ -year-old daughter. So, if yer not gonna say anything nice to each other or Jack, than don't say anything at all." He blew out a staggered breath and observed how neither Kate nor Sawyer would meet his gaze.

"Look," he relented and brushed a fringe of hair away from his forehead. "There's some eggs in fridge and I'm sure Ellie and Caitlyn will be down in a minute so why don't you guys sit down, have some breakfast and chill for a bit? I'll handle Jack and then—" he looked at Sawyer "We can go visit Juliet. I was speaking with her surgeon and they're already weaning back some of her medications. Might be able to take that breathing tube out soon."

"Thanks, Doc." Sawyer said, resigned.

Aaron nodded. "And can we not take any more pot shots at Jack?" He lightened his tone a little. "I know he's an easy target at the moment and yeah, he probably did some pretty shitty things that contributed to this mess, but yer acting like neither of you have ever made a mistake. And if the situation were reversed my guess is Jack wouldn't be spending all his time going off on you. That a fair assessment?"

"Daddy!" Caitlyn trotted into the room with a smile so wide that Aaron couldn't help but match it. "Well, hello there, Little Duck. Did you sleep well?" He bent to pick her up and hug her against his chest.

"Yeah, but you had the TV waaaaaaay too loud," she complained.

Kate looked mortified.

Aaron chuckled and shrugged it off. "I'm sorry about that. I forgot how early it was."

"It's okay, Daddy" Caitlyn assured and squirmed to get down.

"Good morning, Kate! Good morning, Sawyer!" She greeted happily and it was obvious she expected the same treatment from them. Kate easily picked her up and hugged her, but Sawyer hesitated, wrapping his arms awkwardly around her little body when she grew impatient and hugged his left leg.

"Perfect timing," Aaron whispered in Ellie's ear as he felt her slender hands slip around his waist, her head on his shoulder.

"Figured you might need some kid therapy," she grinned against his cheek.

"Oh, not just me." He motioned to the scene in front of him with a smile. Caitlyn had retrieved the eggs from the fridge and was issuing Kate and Sawyer detailed instructions on how to prepare breakfast. The seemed to be going along with it without protest.

He glanced at the rain splatter on the kitchen window with a frown.

"It's starting to rain pretty hard out there. I'm gonna go get Jack."

"How do you know where to look?" Ellie wondered, following him into the porch where he slipped on his Blundstones and his red North Face jacket. He grabbed his black rain jacket from the closet and draped it over his arm before pulling out his phone and showing it to her with a wink.

"Genius," she smiled.

Aaron grabbed the keys to the Mercedes and quickly texted his Jack:

Aaron: Sawyer just took a swing at you. Can I cheat and ask you where you went?  
Jack: Park at the end of street by the trail across from the tennis court.  
Aaron: Cool. Thx. Any tips?  
Jack: Do what we always do.  
Aaron: *thumbs up emoji*  
Jack: Bring Sawyer to IR on Wednesday. I'll do him first thing before the staff get in.  
Aaron: You did read the part where he just took a swing at you right?  
Jack: Just get him there and I'll handle it.  
Aaron: So…I have to tell him that he has a time bomb in his head that's already killed him once?  
Jack: You get to tell him that he has a time bomb in his head that isn't going to kill him because we're going to fix it.  
Aaron: Alright. I'll add it to the list of uncomfortable conversations that I seem to be having with people.  
Jack: But look how much you're growing as person *smiley face emoji*  
Aaron: Oh look Mom taught you how to use emojis. I feel like I'm trapped in an episode of This is Us.  
Jack: I figured it out on my own. You should avoid slow cooking kitchen appliances at all costs.  
Aaron: LOL! Didn't know you watched it.  
Jack: Kate made me while she was pregnant with the twins.

Aaron smiled and pocketed his phone.

"Are you okay with things here?" He asked Ellie.

She hugged him and nodded. "I think Caitlyn's got those two wrapped around her little finger. Now Jack on the other hand—he's gonna be a harder nut to crack."

"Wish me luck," Aaron muttered.

"Just be you," Ellie assured. "And don't try and write him poetry— you'll be fine."

He stuck his tongue out at her and stepped into the pouring rain.

Aaron parked the Mercedes flush with the curb at the bottom of his street. There were puddles forming on the narrow foot path that cut between two houses leading to the tennis court and the park beyond. He got out of his car, pulled up his hood, and followed the path until he saw a lone figure slumped on a bench overlooking the swings. Even from a distance he knew it had to be Jack. No one else in their right mind would be out in this weather. He squinted and tried to wipe the rain from his glasses before he approached.

Jack was bent low with his head in his hands. His back was rigid and Aaron could see that he was soaked to the bone. The flimsy t-shirt he was wearing clung awkwardly to him. Aaron gently unfolded the black rain jacket he had in his arms and draped it over the man, causing him to startle and look up at him with blood shot eyes.

"Hey, Jack." Aaron could tell that he had been crying even with the rain masking his tears.

"Mind if I have a seat?"

Jack made a little noise that Aaron took for ascent and he winced as he lowered himself onto the wet bench. He could feel his jeans starting to soak through.

"I didn't think it was supposed to rain today." He commented lightly. "I mean personally I'm more of a snow fan, especially for the winter, but at least we don't have to shovel it. When I lived in Boston we used to get hammered with these massive blizzards every winter, the city would shut down and driving it used to be an absolute nightmare. People just don't know how to drive in snow. Made working emerge as a med student real fun."

Aaron stopped when he noticed that he seemed to have captured Jack's attention."Yep, Boston was fun. Learned to play hockey—not very well, but I can skate without falling down most of the time—" he had to raise his voice to speak over the torrent of water.

"You don't have to be out here in the rain like this." Jack told him gruffly.

Aaron studied him and nodded.

"Alright," he agreed, and patted Jack on the back as he stood.

"Let's go for a drive."

Aaron didn't look over his shoulder to see if Jack would follow him. He simply plodded back to the street and got into the driver's seat of his car, turning the heat controls to full blast after he shut the door. A short time later Jack emerged on the path just as he had expected. Sure, Jack would rather sit in the rain and sulk, but he would feel too guilty allowing anyone else to endure it with him.

Aaron reached across the console to open the door for Jack.

"Come on, it's warmer in here," he told him.

Jack met his eyes for one brief moment and wordlessly climbed in the vehicle. Aaron played with the touch panel on the console, selecting one of the playlists that he knew his Jack enjoyed before he started the ignition and drove down the street.

It was obvious that Jack was too caught up in his own head to be much of a conversationalist, so Aaron turned up the stereo volume and drummed his thumbs along the steering wheel as he pulled onto the freeway. It was early enough that traffic was light. He fiddled with the controls for the heated seats and set the car on a similar route that Jack had taken him the night he had put his hand through the god damn window in his garage. They must have driven around for hours. Aaron had sat morosely in the passenger seat of Jack's Classic Edition Bronco with his left hand wrapped in a bloody towel because he refused to go to the hospital or let Jack anywhere near it. Jack didn't push him. He just threw on some tunes and drove down to San Diego and back in the middle of the night for the heck of it. Aaron had caved somewhere between Solana Beach and Del Mar after he had sobered up enough for his hand to smart and grew tired of the respectable silence that Jack had offered. He completely broke down and told the man how he wasn't cut out to be a father or a husband. Jack simply shook his head knowingly and reassured him that what happened to Ellie wasn't his fault. It took years, but Aaron eventually believed him.

Aaron suspected that Jack had taken a similar road trip with Jay the day of Sawyer's funeral. Kate refused to leave Juliet's side, but Aaron had gone looking for Jack to find his Bronco missing and his cell phone off. Jack and Jay had showed up late the following night, refusing to say anything about what had transpired. It was obvious that something had shifted in their relationship. Jack didn't even throttle the young man when he eventually asked for Claire's hand in marriage.

After 25 minutes of driving, Aaron pulled into a Starbucks and ordered a couple of coffees and breakfast sandwiches. He parked the car and peeled the paper back from his sandwich, listening to the music filter through his speakers. Jack was holding the packet containing his own sandwich, but hadn't made any effort to open it.

"Call from: Jason Mackenzie" The wireless transfer protocol in Aaron's car informed him.

"Accept." Aaron rolled his eyes. He doubted they were going to make it anywhere near San Diego because he was on the clock until midnight and he needed to take Sawyer in to see Juliet.

"Already had a pancreatitis, so I'm gonna guess this one is an appy, or maybe a bowel obstruction." He told Jack in a playful voice as the call connected.

"Morning, Boss" the man on the other line greeted.

"Mac," Aaron acknowledged. "We going to the OR or what?"

Jason Mackenzie was Aaron's fourth year surgical resident. He was young and keen, wanted to do a fellowship in hepatobiliary surgery if he could get into a respectable program. Aaron liked having him around because it meant that he didn't have to be at the hospital for most of his call shifts unless he was working as Trauma Team Lead, which he did once every eight days.

He could hear Mackenzie chuckling. "Do you want to go to the OR? I've got a hot appendix in a 19-year-old male."

"Noooooope," Aaron agreed. "As long as your comfortable, I'm comfortable. Who's your junior on today?"

"Griffith is handling the patients on the floor."

"Ok perfect. You guys go ahead and do the case. You know what I like for my post-op orders. I'll be trolling the ICU if you need anything throughout the afternoon."

"You thinking of a career switch?" Mackenzie asked, confused.

"Nah too boring. Ringer's taking over for Bristow so I've got some handover points to discuss about a patient…and I like giving Ringer a hard time."

"Okie dokie," Mackenzie agreed and disconnected the call.

"Ha, told ya it'd be an appy." Aaron's expression faltered when he looked over at Jack who was still staring down at the packet in his hands. Aaron watched him fold one of the corners experimentally, running his thumb along the pointy edge it created.

"Jack," Aaron drew in a breath and waited for the man to meet his eyes.

"It's not your fault," he said simply.

Jack looked at him incredulously. "Not my fault?…Not my fault." His words morphed into a low self-depreciating laugh.

"I don't know if you got the memo, but _I'm_ the jackass who abandoned you because I wasn't safe to be around. I screwed things up for you and couldn't bring your mother home. I'm the reason we're stuck in this mess and Juliet's in the ICU!" His voice cracked and he was having trouble reigning in his emotions.

Aaron fought his instinct to try and correct the man. He remembered when he was in Jack's seat and being told that _it wasn't his fault_ when it felt as though his entire world was collapsing was the last thing he wanted to hear. It was a conclusion he would have to come to himself.

Jack had resumed not talking to him and watched the wipers clear a steady stream of water off the windshield.

Aaron sighed and decided to employ a new tactic. He selected a name out of his contacts from the panel on his console.

"Hello," a voice greeted, when the call connected.

"What's ya doin'?" Aaron asked casually and reached to sip his coffee.

"Hey Kiddo, just driving to work. The weekend goes _way_ too fast." Future Jack yawned in background and Aaron watched his counterpart pale as he recognized his own voice.

"We are binge watching this new Netflix Original you would like. It sort of reminded me of _House of Cards_ not sure if I'm dating myself there?"

"Nah," Aaron agreed. "Ellie and I have watched _all_ the Netflix. It's a classic."

"Well, it's called _The Pelican Briefing_ if you get a chance. I think there might have been a book as well."

"Cool, we will check it out if we can ever get the little one to bed at a decent hour. She's started picking out chapter books as bed time stories so she can stay up longer. Last night I read like a hundred pages of _Harry Potter_."

"Yeah…pretty sure she get's that from her Dad," Jack chuckled. "Believe me, _you_ were just as bad."

Aaron snorted. "It is a solid strategy—it's really hard to say no to literacy."

"I hear ya. Try putting her to bed earlier. Also, we're going up to the cabin this weekend if she wants to tag along."

Aaron laughed. "I think you already know the answer to that."

"Great, I'll pick her up after work on Friday."

"I'm not telling her until Thursday night because she will be bouncing off the walls!" Aaron paused, still watching the Jack sitting beside him out of his peripheral vision.

"…And Jack, I've got you on speaker." He admitted a little guiltily.

"I know. I'll see you for that case on Wednesday, okay?"

"You got it," he said as he hung up.

Aaron studied Jack again. His eyes were closed and he looked pained and unwilling to come to terms with what he just witnessed—that he may not have screwed things up too badly after all.

"I'm sorry if that was a little too uncomfortable for you," Aaron whispered, feeling guilty. "But I wanted to show you that everything's gonna be alright."

Jack blew out a breath of frustration and reached to rub his forehead. His head was pounding and his hands shook badly. He squeezed his eyes shut.

"I guess you're feeling pretty crummy, huh?"

"I'm fine," Jack spoke through gritted teeth.

"I'm not sure if Kate told you, but you've got a nasty concussion and were pretty out of it all yesterday. I gave you some fluids, and ondansetron to settle down the vomiting, but I've also been using IV diazepam for the shakes. I'd like to give you a dose IM now and then we can taper to PO as soon as I get my hands on some."

"I don't want to be drugged."

"I know," Aaron agreed and fished the syringe out of his coat pocket. "But, it's been a while since you had a dose and I don't want you going into DT's and having a seizure on me."

"I'm not going to—"

"You don't know that." Aaron cut him off. "As a health care professional, if it were anyone else, what would you have them do? My guess is it wouldn't be play seizure roulette."

Jack dropped his chin to his chest. "I'm not a doctor anymore," he muttered. "Got suspended."

"Well, I'm working an interventional case with you on Wednesday so it mustn't be as bad as you think. You know how much it would freak Kate out if you started hallucinating or had a seizure."

Jack's eyes narrowed, but whatever retort he was trying to construct died on his lips. Instead, he shrugged his left shoulder out of the rain coat the Aaron had given him, exposing the tattoo skin underneath.

Aaron reached across to swab the area before he injected 10mg of diazepam into Jack's deltoid. He didn't dare tell Jack that he upped the dose because he didn't trust that he would rest. He recapped the needle and put it back in his pocket to dispose of later.

"We work a lot of cases together?" Jack wondered, finally reaching for his own coffee.

"Occasionally," Aaron agreed. "We're both at St. Sebastian's. I'm a bit of an oddball and haven't worked long OR lists since my daughter, Caitlyn was born. I like to be home before 6 most days if I'm not doing trauma call. You do a lot more interventional procedures like aneurysm coilings and what not, although at least once a week you still do some bigger, open stuff plus trauma, which is where we tend to collaborate."

Aaron swallowed the last bite of his sandwich and pulled out of the parking space. The rain had tapered off into a fine mist, so he readjusted the wiper settings. He opened his mouth to say something else to Jack and could see the obvious discomfort in the way he slid back against the seat.

"Doing okay, Jack?"

"I'm fine." Jack mumbled reflexively, letting his head rest against the window. The cool glass felt refreshing against his forehead.

"Alright," Aaron agreed, smiling. "You just relax and have a little nap."

"M'not tired," he slurred. The world around him seemed to be pulsating slightly so he let his eyes close, barely noticing that he was falling asleep.


	10. January 2nd, 2040

**Five Minutes to Midnight**

**TEN: January 2nd, 2040**

Monday was Claire's least favourite day of the week. Her morning started with an L4-L5 laminectomy +/- discectomy getting bumped for a cauda equina from the ER that required an urgent spinal decompression. The decompression ran late and her original case got put on hold when a type 1 aortic dissection came in and the vascular surgeons needed the room to perform a Bentall procedure. This, essentially, left her without a space to operate in so she gave up and stalked off to the ICU, leaving Mike, her resident to try and rearrange their OR list.

"Please tell me your day is going better than mine?" She grumbled to Dr. Thomas Ringer, the anesthesiologist who had taken over for Dr. Bristow.

Ringer didn't look up from the chest x-ray he was studying on the computer terminal.

"This is an 18-year-old male who's been here for a week after he decided to jump off a building. Cole took him to the OR yesterday for a tracheostomy and he goes into respiratory distress three hours after the trache was placed."

Claire leaned over him to squint at the screen and made a face.

"Is that a tooth?" she asked.

"Yeah," Ringer agreed. "Smack dab in the middle of his right main stem bronchus. It's been hanging out there for a week and no one noticed. One of the emerge docs must have knocked it loose when they intubated him."

"Shit."

"Uh huh…Cole's pissed he has to revise the trache." He selected the drop-down box on the status bar to pull up Juliet LaFleur's x-ray. "Your girl's doing good though. Lung has re-inflated nicely. I dialled back her sedation a little and she's breathing over the vent just fine."

Claire nodded. "Any thoughts on extubation?"

Ringer shrugged. "We can pull the ET tube today. Her chest tube is set to suction so that lung should stay happy. Did you err…. see her latest labs?"

Claire shook her head, causing a curl to spring free from the Snoopy patterned scrub hat she was wearing.

"We ran the usual trauma labs on her and the beta's back at over 25 000."

Claire swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat.

"She's pregnant," she whispered.

"Yeah," Ringer breathed. "I grabbed the ultrasound probe and the fetus is measuring well. 10 weeks-ish. Good strong heartbeat. We'll have to watch what we're giving her and it's another reason to wean back the sedation. Obstetrics has already been consulted."

"Doctor Ringer, I thought you'd be off doing your Sudoku puzzles by now." Aaron greeted as he strode up to where they were huddled, Sawyer trailing a couple of feet behind him.

"Oh look it's my favourite surgeon. Mr. Table up, table down, reverse Trendelenburg every six seconds because he can't decide how he likes the patient positioned."

Ringer smirked at Claire. "He's just bitter because I'm behind the drape rocking the stock market while he's fishing out gallstones."

Aaron rolled his eyes. "Your job involves playing Candy Crush 90% of the time. Mine involves saving lives. How we doing here?"

Ringer let the comment slide with a grin. "Status quo, Austen. Status quo. Dr. Shephard and I were just chatting about yanking Mrs. LaFleur's ET tube."

Aaron winced, Sawyer's breath hitched and he didn't need to turn around to know that the man was staring at Claire. She was Juliet's primary physician so he didn't see the point of trying to hide her identity.

"Good," he agreed.

"Uh… James." He turned to face Sawyer. "Dr. Thomas Ringer is taking over for Dr. Bristow in the ICU this week and this—" he paused and offered Claire a small smile. "Is Dr. Claire Shephard, spinal surgeon. She's Juliet's primary physician and she also happens to be my cousin."

Sawyer looked a little frightened as he took Claire's pre-offered hand. He unconsciously pulled her into a brief hug that she easily returned.

"It's good to meet you," he croaked.

"Yeah," Claire agreed.

"So the Doc and Freckles?" He asked Aaron as they walked the short distance to Juliet's room, leaving Claire and Ringer to finish their discussion.

Aaron smirked and slid open the heavy glass door to Juliet's room. "They'll figure out their relationship…eventually—I hope."

Juliet was laying in the same position as the day before and Aaron pointed to the spot next to her on the bed. "You wanna get up there with her? We need to wake her up a little bit to take that breathing tube out."

Sawyer nodded and shakily lowered the rail before he climbed onto the bed and tentatively pulled Juliet so that she was laying against his chest, her head resting against his shoulder.

"That's good," Aaron encouraged and bent to manipulate the controls on the bed so that the head was at 90 degrees.

"In order to do this we need to turn off her sedation for a few minutes to make sure she has a good cough reflex. Once she wakes up enough to obey commands we'll yank the tube and monitor her closely. Then we'll turn the sedation back on just enough to make her sleepy and keep her anxiety level down, but not high enough to affect her breathing."

"Will she be in pain?" Sawyer asked apprehensively, one hand rubbing her shoulder.

"No," Aaron agreed. "She gets regular medications for that." He paused. "I will warn you, she isn't going to like that tube down her throat. She's probably buck against it and try to pull it out herself. Your job will be to hold her and keep her nice and calm while we assess her, okay?"

Sawyer looked like he was going to be sick.

Aaron offered a reassuring smile. "You got this. She's in excellent hands. Claire's actually more anal than Jack if that's at all possible."

"Yer kidding."

Aaron shook his head as he dialed back Juliet's propofol infusion. "She used to place ornaments on the Christmas tree with a ruler. In case you haven't guessed, we've intentionally avoided telling Jack and Kate that they've got kids. I think poor Jack would have a stroke."

"Kids as in _pleural_?" Sawyer blinked.

Aaron's smile widened. "Yeah. _Kids as in pleural_ _._ Kate had twins. Claire you've met and Sam's the spit image of Jack, but one hundred percent Kate in personality. Impulsive, and stubborn as hell."

"Also a doc?"

Aaron chuckled and shook his head. "God no. FBI Agent. I don't think he'd be able to handle a job where he works inside all day. His hobbies include mountain climbing, deep sea diving, and piloting airplanes and he does a lot of consultant work all over the world. Even takes photos for National Geographic."

Claire ducked her head around the corner. "Hey," she greeted. "How are we doing?"

"Propofol infusion is off and I can see she's weaned back to just a sniff of levophed." Aaron said happily.

"Good." She smiled when she saw Sawyer on the bed with Juliet in his arms. "She's doing really well," She told him.

He nodded, and still looked a little shaky. He startled badly when Juliet suddenly jerked against him.

"It's alright," Aaron assured. "She's just starting to wake up. Try and keep her nice and calm. She's in a safe place, you're there with her, it's all gonna be okay." He turned to Claire. "Ringer coming?"

She shook her head. "He needed to throw in a CVP line, but told us we can go ahead if we're comfortable.

"Oh, so he's designated the task to two lowly surgeons," Aaron smirked.

Juliet whimpered and tried to lift her head off of Sawyer's shoulder.

"Oh god Blondie, it's okay," Sawyer smoothed her hair back and hugged her tighter to his chest. She weakly tried to bring her hand toward her mouth, just as Aaron said she would. "Shhhhhh…Blondie…It's just me. It's James. It got ya…yer okay." He kissed her forehead and covered her hand with his larger one, squeezing it. "I ain't gonna let anything happen to ya. Yer safe. Yer in the hospital." He told her. Her eyelids flicked open and she tried to talk around the tube, resulting in a thick gurgling sound.

Aaron watched her heart rate climb and jabbed at the monitor to silence the alarm. "Take a nice deep breath, James. You're doing great," He told Sawyer, noticing how pale the man had become when the alarm stated to blare. "Everything's going fine. Just remember to breath...nice and slow."

Sawyer pinched his eyes together and did as instructed, uncaring what it must have looked like.

"Alright James," Claire gave him a moment to compose himself. "Now lets see how awake she is. Can you ask Juliet to squeeze your hand please?" She asked.

"Ya hear that Sleepin' Beauty? Yer doc wants ya to to squeeze my hand. Think you can do it?" He brushed her hair back and slipped his hand under hers.

She whimpered again.

"Come on, Juliet. I know you can do it. Squeeze my hand and the docs will get that tube out of yer throat."

He felt her fingers curl against his.

"Great job, Blondie," He whispered hoarsely. "Now can ya open those pretty blue eyes again for us?"

Her eyes flickered, just for a second and he kissed her cheek.

"There we are," Aaron said kindly.

"Okay Juliet, this is just some suction." He warned her before he inserted the suction catheter in her mouth. She tensed and latched onto Sawyer's arm, which was resting across her chest.

"Yer doin' great, Sweetheart" Sawyer assured her.

"Alright, tube's coming out now. Take a nice deep breath in, Juliet" Aaron said slowly. Claire pulled causing Juliet to cough violently as the tube was freed from her airway.

"All done," Sawyer whispered and rubbed her shoulders while she coughed and sputtered against him. His eyes were watering badly, but he wouldn't move to wipe them.

Claire reached in to slip and oxygen mask over Juliet's face.

"The oxygen is just for a couple of minutes until she relaxes. You're doing an excellent job." She assured Sawyer, noticing how much he was trembling. "Take another deep breath," she whispered and set her hand on his left shoulder, rubbing slow circles. "Nice and slow. I know this is hard and you are doing fantastic. Juliet's okay James."

He nodded, not trusting his words to speak. He was so distracted he didn't see Aaron had slipped out of the room until he came back in with a couple of heated blankets, which he spread over both of them.

Juliet moaned and tried to pull the mask off her face. Sawyer stiffened.

"Alright, let's do 10 of propofol," Claire told Aaron as she reached in to re-adjust the mask.

Aaron nodded.

"What's happening?" Sawyer looked between the two docs.

"We are going to turn Juliet's sedation back on now just to keep her calm." Claire explained. "It'll be light and just for a little while longer so she can rest up, but we'll still be able to wake her up easily if we need to."

He closed his eyes and hugged her closer, kissing the top of her head. He knew she was completely out when she sagged against him and tried to bury her head under his chin. Her hair tickled his nose.

"See," Aaron reassured. "She's a little more lively now even though she still asleep." He gave Sawyer's shoulder another pat. "I know it's hard, but try and relax. Claire and I have to get back to the OR, but we'll be up to check on you later."

"And the nurses are right outside if you need anything," Claire assured, watching him nod. She waited until they had stepped into corridor before she grabbed Aaron by the sleeve and pulled him into the empty broom closet of a room that the ICU team used for handover.

Once inside she sat on the edge of the conference table and looked down at her feet.

"What?" Aaron frowned at her. "She looks good."

"She's pregnant," she whispered.

* * *

When Jack opened his eyes he found himself staring at the television playing some cartoon that he didn't recognize. He studied it for a bit, watching a series of yellow, one-eyed characters waddle across the screen. For a moment, he tried to make out what they were saying, assuming they could talk, but the image was distorted as though he was viewing it through a thick fog that swirled at the very edge of his senses. He gave up and shut his eyes as a bolt of sharp, hot pain sliced through his skull. He groaned and rolled onto his stomach, burying his head in one of several overstuffed pillows that had been propped under his head and shoulders. The smell of cookies baking seemed to linger in his nostrils, reminding him that something wasn't quite right.

_Perhaps he was having a very lucid dream? Why wasn't he in bed?_

Jack knew he was laying on the couch, but he couldn't remember falling asleep there. He must have drifted off at some point because god he was stiff. Every muscle in his back and chest seemed to pulse in unison with his throbbing head. Somewhere off in the distance he could hear a fire crackling a soothing melody that lulled him back into a drowsy half doze. He had just began relax, feeling the heaviness of sleep insinuate his limbs when he felt something sticky press against forehead. He ignored it and stretched slightly, feeling the slight drag of something else clinging to his neck. He grunted and tried to swat it away, which only resulting in another of the sticky objects ending up on the back of his hand.

He groaned in frustration.

"Kate, do you think he'd like the Disney Princess or the Paw Patrol ones better? I don't think he likes the Minion ones very much." A small voice asked.

"Oh definitely the Disney Princess."

Was that Kate? His eyes popped open and he rolled his head so that only his left cheek was flush with the pillow. His vantage point gave him a zoomed in view of the pig-tailed blonde hovering over him.

Jack stared at her blearily.

"Hi!" She squeaked, when she noticed his eyes were now open.

"You slept a loooooooong time," she sounded impressed. "We had lunch and everything."

Jack groaned and blinked again, weakly rubbing his eyes when the little girl didn't dissolve into his subconscious. Instead she leaned in over him and pressed the stubborn edge of a Band-Aid back against his skin.

"Are you going to sleep some more? My Daddy said you might because you weren't feeling well. It's ok though cause I brought Mr. Rabbit to help you feel better." She motioned to the battered looking stuffed rabbit that was tucked into Jack's left shoulder.

"What?" he croaked. His voice sounded creaky and weak in his own ears.

Stiffly he turned and pushed himself up with his elbows. As he did so, the brightly coloured quilt that was tangled in his legs fell away from his torso, revealing a gray _Harvard Medicine_ t-shirt and green and black plaid pajama pants that he was sure he didn't own.

"Daddy turned on the fireplace because you stayed out in the rain too long and he didn't want you to get cold." Caitlyn tried to explain. "He never lets me play in the rain without my rain coat."

Jack took a long, deep breath as his brain desperately tried to comprehend what was happening. His senses did not seem to match up with the rational part of his mind and the whirlwind of thoughts and nonsensical images left him feeling sluggish and dazed.

Kate, who was leaning over the couch trying to stifle her laughter finally relented and took pity on him.

"Caitlyn," she asked sweetly. "Can you go find your Mom and ask her if she has a container to put the cookies in?"

"Sure!" She agreed. "I just need to put one more of these….here!" She placed a pink Disney Princess Band-Aid next to the Minion one the back of Jack's left hand where his IV site had been bleeding and crusted blood still clung to the skin.

"Oh, you're going to be a great doctor when you grow up," Kate praised, chuckling.

Caitlyn shook her head. "Nah, I want to be a princess first. Then maybe a doctor like Daddy."

"Kate, what's happening?" Jack wheezed once the little girl was out of sight and she had moved to sit next to him on the couch.

Kate studied him and bit her lip. He had four Paw Patrol, Minion, and Disney Princess Band-Aids plastered across his forehead, at least three on his neck, and two covering the back of his left hand.

"Aaron's little girl decided you were in need of a few Band-Aids." She grinned at him, but her tone changed when he stared at her blankly.

"Remember this morning? We ended up in 2040. You met Aaron and—" Jack nodded, his thoughts slowly catching up with him.

"We were in his car," Jack told her absently. "Then I woke up here."

"He said he gave you something that would make you pretty sleepy," Kate explained. "You don't remember him walking you in?"

"The diazepam," Jack grumbled, barely suppressing a yawn. "It screws up memories." He knew it was still in his system. He was foggy and far too relaxed.

Kate smiled. "You didn't miss much. You slept most of the morning and afternoon. Aaron's at the hospital with Sawyer."

"He didn't have to take my clothes off," he muttered petulantly.

"You were soaking wet, Jack."

He nodded and shifted to rest against the back of the couch. His eyes must have drifted shut because when he opened them Kate was gone and another brown-haired woman was standing over him.

"See Mommy, all better!" Caitlyn declared, proudly.

Ellie did her best to hide her amusement and offered Jack a warm smile.

"Hey Jack, my name's Ellie. I'm Aaron's wife." She rested her hand on his shoulder as spoke.

He blinked up at her.

"There's a turkey sandwich and a glass of milk on the table beside you if you're hungry." She offered, giving his shoulder a squeeze before disappearing from his field of vision.

"You should eat." Now Kate was back and holding half a sandwich in front of him.

He groggily reached for it and bent forward so his elbows were resting on his knees. The movement seemed to wake him up a little more and he tentatively took a bite of the sandwich.

"Thanks."

Kate nodded.

"I hate being sick." Jack muttered with a frustrated shake of his head.

"I could always get you some crackers." Kate offered. She studied him for a moment, the corners of her lips curling into a wide smile.

"What?" Jack asked, puzzled.

She reached up and plucked the Band-Aid from his eyebrow.


	11. So Whatever Happens Doesn't Happen Again

**Five Minutes to Midnight**

**ELEVEN: So Whatever Happened Doesn't Happen Again**

Aaron wasn't surprised to find Sawyer curled up in the den with the old copy of _Game of Thrones_ he had seemed to have taking a liking to. He had retreated there after a tense dinner. He and Jack had not said two words to each other. On the bright side, they also were throwing punches at each other, which Aaron considered a definite win. Jack had been quiet and miserable looking. Aaron left him to sit drowsily on the couch while Ellie, Kate, and Caitlyn played a board game at the kitchen table.

"Is there something I can help you with?" Sawyer peered over the top of his book, sounding annoyed that Aaron had been standing in the middle of the floor, staring at him for the past five minutes.

"You're squinting." Aaron told him lamely.

Sawyer looked exasperated. "You had to come all the way down here to inform me of that?" He sighed, feeling slightly bad about the tone he had taken. "I just don't have my damn glasses."

Aaron nodded and moved to sit in his favorite leather recliner next to the fireplace. He pulled his knees to his chest and watched Sawyer fiddle with the pages, observing how closely he was holding the book to his face.

"How have the headaches been lately?"

Sawyer dropped the book in his lap and stared at him. "I ain't got no headaches"

"You sure about that?" Aaron had this strange expression on his face that made Sawyer nervous.

"What concern of it ta you is it anyway?" He asked defensively.

"I think…" Aaron hesitated. "…that it's time we do something about them."

"I told ya Doc, I just need my damn glasses," he said shortly.

"No," Aaron sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "There's a little bit more to it than that."

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Sawyer huffed in frustration, his face reddening slightly.

"I think the reason you are having those headaches is because you have a cerebral aneurysm in your anterior communicating artery that is very slightly abutting the branch points of your optic nerve."

"So that's like brain tumor?" Sawyer blinked at him.

Aaron shook his head. "No. Like a bulging blood vessel that can burst at any time and bleed out into your brain."

"And you can tell this by looking at someone across the room?" Sawyer asked skeptically.

"No." Aaron sighed, knowing he now had the man's undivided attention. "I can tell because it's already happened."

"What are ya trying to say, Doc?" His voice was hoarse.

Aaron swallowed and looked him in the eye. "I'm _trying to say_ that you have a problem that will kill you. I think you should let us fix it for you so that doesn't happen."

Sawyer stared at him.

"I know," Aaron agreed. "Cause you don't already have enough going on right now."

"So, this…aneurysm." Sawyer tested the word on his tongue. "Is going to _kill_ me."

"Yes," Aaron agreed.

"When?"

Aaron sighed and watched the other man for a long moment, trying to come to a decision.

"September 22, 2024," he said finally.

"Come on, Doc. Ya gotta give me more than that."

Aaron closed his eyes. His tone was quiet. "The reason that aneurysms are so dangerous is not because they bleed. It's because the blood has nowhere to go. You get worked up, blood pressure rises and puts pressure on an already weak, bulging vessel. It's like a pipe under strain, it eventually bursts causing blood to leak into your brain. The problem is the brain is in a confined space and there's nowhere for the blood to go without getting in the way. Intracranial pressure increases and things swell and squish together causing brain damage. There can be so much pressure and swelling that the brain has nowhere else to go but down, so it squeezes through the foramen magnum—the tiny hole that your spinal cord comes out of. This compresses the brainstem—responsible for breathing. In your case, you got in an argument with Juliet. Nothing major, but it probably got your blood pressure up. You went to cool down, that blood vessel…which I'm sure had been weak for a while…blew. You crashed your truck and yeah…that's about it. It was quick. I can tell you that."

"Oh," Sawyer managed to say. He sucked in ragged breath and absently ran his thumb along the spine of the book in his lap.

"How's Juliet?" He asked after a long moment.

"Not the best," Aaron admitted. "She blames herself and never really got over it." He didn't dare tell him that his son had lost a father that day.

"James, the reason I'm telling you all this is because things don't have to go this way. I happen to know a guy who coils these things all the time. We can do a very small surgery where we feed a wire up your groin to your brain and deploy a tiny coil of metal so that blood vessel wall can't burst. What's the point of traveling through time if you can't take a shot at a better future, right?"

Aaron stood quietly and left Sawyer to his thoughts. He didn't sleep at all that night.

* * *

His legs shook as he entered the interventional radiology suite, a bright white-washed room with a table in the middle. Around the table hung a multitude of TV screens, lights, and curved bits of metal that Sawyer couldn't identify, nor did he want to. The smell of antiseptic was already making him nauseous.

A reassuring hand on his elbow gently nudged him forward.

"Come to watch the party?" he tried to joke when he realized that Aaron was not making any effort to leave.

"Your surgeon's going to be busy feeding a wire up your groin into your brain so I offered to make sure the rest of you is doing ok."

"Jesus, arn't you gonna buy me dinner first?" He tried to retort, but was having trouble keeping his voice from cracking.

Aaron winked. "I'll even let you pick the music. Now hop up."

He patted the metal table and pushed away two of the screens suspended from the ceiling to make more room.

Sawyer did so mechanically. The hospital gown he was wearing hitched on one of the metal facets making him grimace. It would have been so much better if they had just let him keep his boxers.

"Lay back." Aaron instructed as he fiddled with a computer to the right.

"Now, I'm just going hook you up to some monitors and start an IV so I can give you some medications," he explained.

"Damn, you are _really_ selling this, Doc." Sawyer muttered watching Aaron slid his phone out of his breast pocket.

"Don't worry 'bout what I'm doing. Have a flick through this."

"You weren't kidding about music?" He asked, glancing at the pre-offered device and then at Aaron.

"Nope, the IR suite has the best speaker system in the house. Tap the browse button at the bottom and you'll see there's a pretty good selection of playlists."

Sawyer took the phone and experimentally slid his thumb along the glass screen. "Back in my day these things were for talkn' to people."

"Ouch…son of a bitch!" He hadn't noticed Aaron probing the back of his left hand to find a vein until he felt the burn of the needle. His outburst made the heart rate monitor he was hooked up to jump into the 120s.

"You are really clipping along there," Aaron teased.

"Well if you'd stop fucking poking me with sharp objects." Sawyer grumbled and tried once again to focus on the stupid phone as Aaron slid a blood pressure cuff over his right arm.

"Oh don't worry. I can do ya one better. I'll be giving you the happy drugs for this."

"Don't tell Jacko, he'll be jealous."

Aaron rolled his eyes and let the retort slide.

"Sorry I'm late. Traffic was a pain in the ass."

Sawyer's neck whipped toward the door and Aaron had to grab him by the shoulders to keep him from bolting up off the table.

"Son of a bitch!"

Dr. Jack Shephard leaned casually against the wall on the far side of the room. He was clad in OR greens and a Red Sox logo patterned scrub hat that covered most of his gray hair.

"Hey there Sawyer, long time no see," he said in an easy tone as he approached.

"What the actual fuck, Doc?"

Aaron no longer had any idea which 'Doc' he was referring to.

Jack sighed. "It's safer to get this done sooner rather than later and I happened to have an opening."

"Hate to break it to ya, Doc but my brain ain't in my spine." Sawyer shifted nervously on the table.

Jack rolled his eyes, causing his glasses to slide down the bridge of his nose. "I know that, Sawyer. It just so happens that spinal surgery is a branch off of _neuro_ surgery and I like playing with lasers."

His words did little to ease the man's discomfort so Jack let his hand drop to Sawyer's shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze. "I know this has the been week from hell for you and yes I fucked up big time, so I'm gonna tell you I'm sorry and ask you to give me another chance."

"Well, when you put it like that Doc."

He didn't notice Aaron disconnect a syringe from his IV port and tap something on his phone. "How 'bout some smooth jazz?"

"I do a lot of these." Jack assured, giving his shoulder another squeeze. "And we've gotta keep ya around a while yet. Juliet would be pissed if we didn't."

"Blondie…" he started to say, but his vision was swimming and he started to feel extremely drunk. A tiny sigh escaped his lips.

"S'not bad," he slurred.

Aaron smiled as he watched his heart rate dip below 100.

"What did I tell you," he grinned. "Good drugs."

"Midazolam is in if you wanna go scrub." He turned to Jack, who nodded.

"Alrighty James, going off to sleep now. This might sting a little bit, but when you wake up it's gonna be all over." Aaron connected a larger syringe of propofol to the line and began to push it slowly.

Sawyer gazed up at him, barely reacting as an oxygen mask was pressed against his face. He could faintly here the soft trills of a saxophone in the distance then nothing at all.

* * *

"W...where is...sh...she?" His words were slow and garbled with sleep as he stretched to avoid the sunbeams pooling in the crook of his neck.

"James?" Someone called to him. The voice was muffled and hollow like an echo far off in the distance. He grunted, attempting to latch onto the sound with every strand of consciousness he had. Whatever he had been dreaming about was fading fast, wisps of smoke that left his mind pleasantly empty and subdued. It hadn't been good, but the feeling of dread boiling his insides only lasted a moment until it too became vapor, replaced by a warm, tingling sensation that trickled down every muscle to every single ounce of connective tissue in his body. He let out a happy sigh and tried to allow himself sink back again, trying desperately to hold on to that feeling.

"Hey, I need you to wake up now." That voice again. He floated up a few layers because it was almost clear, dragging him away from the warmth.

"You gonna make it worth my while?" His lips instinctively curled to form a slow smile into the creases of his pillow.

"Open your eyes, Sawyer."

He did so reluctantly. Jack smirked.

"It's too damn bright and too damn early," he grumbled, but the sound was hoarse and it masked the southern after-tones in his voice. He sounded flat, and far too tired. His eyes focused on Jack who was balancing on his elbows against his bed rail. He had taken off his scrub hat and his mask was dangling under his chin.

"Oh hey Doc,"

His reaction earned a faint chuckle from Jack.

"Hey yerself."

"What's with the glasses, Doc?" Sawyer frowned dopily at him. "Yer never gonna get any from Freckles with those on."

Jack ignored him with an amused patience. "Everything went well." He said slowly. "I'm gonna keep you here for the day and Aaron will take you home when he finishes his shift."

"I ain't got no home." Sawyer grumbled. "Ya pretty much made sure of that when ya tried to blow all of us to hell with a hydrogen bomb instead of opening yer damn mouth and fucking talking to Freckles. Could've saved all of us a lot of trouble."

"I know," Jack's tone was quiet. "And I _am_ sorry, Sawyer. Really I am."

Sawyer glared at him and his thick-rimmed glasses, noticing how gray his hair was for the first time. "Yeah well, ya look like fucking Anderson Cooper."

Jack did his best to suppress a small smile, but said nothing as he patted him on the arm and walked out of the room.

* * *

Claire had given Jay a heads up that Jack was doing the procedure that Wednesday. She wasn't the slightest bit surprised when he announced that he was taking the day off work and accompanying her to the hospital. She offered for him to wait in her office, but he stubbornly refused and parked himself on one of the blue, hard-plastic chairs in front of radiology.

When Jack found him he was thumbing through a battered looking edition of _Cosmopoliton,_ which he awkwardly thrust back on the table when he saw the older man watching him with amusement.

Jack crouched down beside him, wincing as the arthritis in his knees flared.

"All done," he told Jay. "He did great."

Jay looked at him, nodded once, and pushed himself to his feet.

"Oh no ya don't," Jack snagged his arm around his shoulders when he saw that he was trying to leave. Jay didn't resist. "I think you need to come say 'hi', Jay," he told him softly and felt the muscles in the man's back tense under his arm.

"Are you fucking insane?"

"Maybe a little?" Jack shrugged and steered him toward a door with the words 'Authorized Personnel Only' painted across the front. He tapped his badge on the lock next to it, making it beep.

"I'm sure you've heard how we ended up in this predicament to begin with, right?"

Jay shot him a withering look.

Jack relented and glanced around to find the hallway they were standing in to be deserted."Jay, I know you don't want to hear it, but how about some fatherly advice from someone who's fucked up more times than he can count?"

"If I say no aren't ya just gonna give it to me anyway?" Jay ground out as he shifted restlessly on his feet.

"You're marrying my daughter so damn straight I am," Jack teased. He kept his arm across the younger man's shoulders and squeezed tightly in an act of reassurance.

"I know how scary this is." Jack told him. "My Dad died when I wasn't that much older than you are now. Didn't really see eye to eye much on anything at all. Felt like I was never good enough for him. That I could never do anything right. Every time I saw him we fought. I even got him fired as Chief of Surgery because I caught him drinking on the job and reported him."

"Shit," Jay muttered, finally raising his head to look at Jack.

"Yeah," he let out a self-depreciating laugh. "Then we got into a huge fight. He ran off to Australia and had a heart attack and died. Didn't even get to tell him that I loved him."

Jack swallowed and looked the younger man in the eyes—they were filled with raw emotion. "Now, your Dad was a good Dad. Regardless of all the stupid shit he and I used to fight about I know he was a great man and he loved you and your Mom _very_ much. I also know you guys didn't end off on the best foot either…and that's OK because he loved you and _you_ know he did. Just remember that because when you have kids someday… it'll remind you to tell them _everyday_ how much you love them…and help you be the absolute best father you can be."

Jay's expression was incredulous.

"Oh don't give me that look. Kate's fully expecting _at least_ one grandchild from each of you and I'm not getting in the way of that," he grinned and patted Jay on the back.

"Now, you have a chance to see your Dad again and I know you want to. So, stop being so fucking stubborn and come say 'hello'."

He led Jay into the interventional recovery room and pointed to the far corner by the window where the curtain around the cubical was partially drawn.

"You still with me, Sawyer?" Jack asked loudly.

Sawyer knew he was being spoken to. Jack's voice resolved itself with enough clarity to ease the fog. He sounded like he was somewhere above him, his tone had a strange, dream-like quality about it.

"Yeah," he mumbled, allowing the man to adjust the head of the cot so that he was semi-sitting. Jack wanted him sedated, but not too heavily asleep. He needed to monitor his neuro vitals. He then moved to inject something into the IV.

"Any reason why there are three of ya, Doc?" Whatever else he was trying to say spewed out as an incoherent mumble that morphed into a happy sigh as it left his lips. It hadn't taken long for the drug to envelope him in a wave of happiness that kept him pleasantly subdued. The relaxation he felt was almost instantaneous leaving him feeling so sluggish that he no longer cared where he was or what he was doing.

"Glad to hear it. This is your son, Jay. He's a great kid. You should be proud." Jack said brightly.

Sawyer groggily craned his neck to look over at Jay.

Jay was too mortified to say anything.

"Don't worry," Jack lifted his hand slightly to show him the syringe he had connected to Sawyer's IV port. "Midazolam interferes with the brain's ability to form new memories and he's already loopy from the ketamine I gave him post-op for pain. You can sit down and talk with him. He's nice and relaxed and he's not gonna remember it later."

Jay nodded and sat in the chair next to the stretcher. His face was rough from four days of not shaving.

Sawyer lazily rolled his head on the pillow to look at him. "Can't have a kid yet, gotta marry Juliet first," he said matter-of-factly.

"Oh you will," Jay assured hesitantly, causing Jack to look up from whatever he was writing in the man's chart. He smiled at them and reached to put his scrub cap back on. He pointed to the door indicating he had to leave, but would be back later to check on them.

"I got the ring," Sawyer told Jay. "Hid it under the floor board in the bedroom. Don't know how to do it though."

Jay frowned and scratched his chin. "Do what?"

"Give it to her."

Jay closed his eyes and sighed. It hadn't been that long ago he had proposed to Claire. "Yeah," he agreed. "Planning is the hardest part. Ya gotta find the right moment, have a little speech prepared bout how much ya love her…then ya gotta hope for the best."

Sawyer started to get a little restless and shift on the bed. "I can't," he whined. "I ain't good with feelings and shit and I need it ta be perfect."

"She likes picnics," Jay offered. "You could surprise her with one. Make her favorite food, find some place nice by the water and then ya tell her how much ya love her. That part's easier then ya think."

"Mmmmm," Sawyer agreed lazily. "That'd be nice."

He dozed off and on for a while and Jay raided the stack of magazines at the nursing station, bringing a couple back to Sawyer's bedside. Jay was still reading when Claire ducked her head in two hours later with a coffee and cafeteria sandwich in her hands.

Jay offered her a weak smile as she set the food down on the window ledge to his right, running her hands along his shoulders.

"How is he?" She asked as she leaned in to kiss his cheek.

"High as a fucking kite," Jay grunted. His voice startling Sawyer.

"Don't go," he whimpered, turning restlessly toward them. "Please Juliet. Don't leave me here," he continued to mutter through grit teeth.

"S'all right, Chief. Yer okay, she's okay. Just settle down." Jay sighed and pressed his hand against Sawyer's shoulder to shake it. He thrashed his head in protest. "Gotta get out…don't leave."

"James," he persisted again, bringing him back to reality with sudden jolt.

"We gotta go back to the sub," he wheezed not quite catching Jay's expression as he grappled to regain the breath he did not realize he had been holding.

"It's alright." Jay gave his shoulder one last pat for good measure. "You were dreaming." Jay watched him shutter and look at him with watery eyes.

"No, she's gonna die."

"Who?"

Sawyer blinked heavily. _What was happening?_ He was worried about something, but his fear had started to evaporate like smoke leaving him incredibly fuzzy. _Where was he again?_ He looked around the room, noticing Claire. She was very pretty with her curly brown hair and freckled skin.

"Heeeey Freckles Jr." He said with a sudden change of mood and reached to take hold of her hand. Claire giggled as he kissed the back of it with an air of chivalry.

"Yeah, yeah," Jay ground out. "It's nice yer awake again now, but she's my girlfriend there Skippy, so paws off."

"Everybody good in here?" Jack asked as he pulled back the curtain. He was still wearing his scrub cap, but he had pulled his mask off his neck and tossed it in the trash can.

"Doc!" Sawyer offered the man a slow wave.

"And Dr. Freckles!" The sight of the pair together made him burst into a fit of giggles. He couldn't stop laughing. Everything felt so god damn funny.

"I think you were a little too heavy on the drugs there, Dad," Claire shook her head, grinning.

"Nah, he's fine." Jack shrugged.

"Says the guy who _doesn't_ have to drive him home," complained Aaron who had slipped in behind him.


	12. The Real Mr. Sawyer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a little insight into Jay's personality/reactions on this one. It's not so much that Jay is finding it difficult to be with his mother (he's been sneaking in most nights to visit and bring her flowers), but he's taking big issue with the fact that Jack and Aaron have 1. pushed him out of his comfort zone when Sawyer was having his procedure done and 2. Are now asking him to impersonate his Dad, a role he likely had to fill in some way at a young age for Juliet after Future Sawyer died. His other issue is that he doesn't like deceiving Juliet even though he knows its in her best interest. He is very close with his Mom also tends to lash out when he's stressed, which is why more of Sawyer's personality traits are coming through at the moment. Hope you guys like that one. 
> 
> Please let me know what you think and I will write more.

**Five Minutes to Midnight**

**TWELVE: The Real Mr. Sawyer**

Sawyer could tell he had a pounding headache before he even opened his eyes so he lay there in the silence, trying to run through his mind at which point he had decided to hit the Dharma whiskey. It had to be whiskey, scotch never made him feel his brain had been run over by one of the damn hippy vans. _Damn it hurt_ , but he tried opening his eyes slowly, sensing something wasn't quite right. He shut them again immediately as the dim light sent a knife blade of pain slicing through skull. He groaned and rolled over onto his stomach, groping at his face in the process.

"Fuck," he hissed as the world around seemed to do something funky, tilting in such a way that made his head spin.

"You should definitely stay lying flat for a while."

"Who?" he choked out, his voice sounding creaky and weak to his own ears. He managed to roll his head to the side and crack one eye open before Aaron could reply.

"Morning, Sunshine." Aaron's face hovered above him, grinning.

Sawyer just grunted in response and took a few deep breaths as he moved his tongue around in his mouth experimentally. It was dry and felt as though it had been stuffed with cotton.

"Travel through time again?" He vaguely noted how slurred his speech was.

"Nope," Aaron assured and reached for his coffee mug. He took a long sip. "It's still good ol' 2040."

Sawyer blinked. His mind drawing a blank of how he had gotten into his current predicament.

"We coiled that nasty aneurysm, remember?"

His eyes narrowed. "Old Jacko."

"Yeah," Aaron agreed. "Or, 'Anderson Cooper' as you seemed to have taken to calling him," he laughed. "Jack took care of it for ya. He spoke to you about it in recovery yesterday, but you were pretty out of it. I guess you don't remember our little sing-along on the ride home either huh?" Aaron grinned, but relented in response to the confused look Sawyer was giving him. "You are probably going to feel a little snowed for a while, but shouldn't have much in terms of pain."

"Yesterday?" Sawyer felt as though he was struggling to follow what was happening.

Aaron smiled patiently. "Yeah, _yesterday_. The surgery is all done now and you're doing fine," he assured. "You were pretty freaked about it so I gave you the good drugs. Then Jack gave you the _really_ good drugs. He apparently doesn't do anything half-assed. You stayed in recovery for observation yesterday afternoon and I brought you home yesterday evening."

"Don't remember," Sawyer grunted.

"That's alright." Aaron shrugged. "Everything went well. You've got a small cut down below where Jack fed the guide wire in, but overall, he was pleased. He deployed a tiny platinum coil in the area where the blood vessel was weak and reinforced the vessel walls with a stent. It took about 40 minutes. No complications. I'll show you the fluoroscopy pictures when you're a little more awake."

Sawyer glanced around at his surroundings with half-lidded eyes. Just as Aaron had said they were back down in the den.

"Big thing now is to rest and _not_ get yourself too worked up so your blood pressure stays nice and chill while the stent settles. Same deal with reading, you need to try and not strain your eyes too much today. A little TV is okay though. _Game of Thrones_ is also a TV show. I can set it up for you. I'll tell Jack and Kate you're not feeling well so they shouldn't really bother you." He paused. "Not that they really do anyway."

"Gotta go see Juliet," Sawyer complained, shifting on the pull-out bed so that he was laying on his back. His eyes were already starting to drift shut again.

"Not today," Aaron told him patiently. "You need to rest. I'm on my way to work shortly so I'll check on her for you. She's gonna need you in tip top shape for when she wakes up. Ellie will be down to look in on you a little later okay?"

Aaron realized he was asleep again before he finished his sentence.

* * *

It was lunchtime before Aaron was able to catch a break to visit the ICU.

"How's Sawyer?" Jack was sitting in the chair next to Juliet's bed doing a crossword puzzle, the book balanced on his knee.

"How the hell much midazolam did you slip him in recovery?" Aaron asked exasperated. He shook his head and laughed. "Not that I didn't enjoy the karaoke on the way home. I mean, he's not half bad—I can see where Jay gets it from, but geeze I think you snowed him into next week."

Jack smirked, glancing up from his book. "I thought it'd be good for Jay to see him and it was easier on both of them that way. Besides, that stent needs to set and Sawyer's not exactly known for his calm, pleasant demeanor. Didn't he take a swing at me like two days ago?"

"Oh he's calm now," Aaron assured as he pulled the heavy glass door to Juliet's room closed. "I had to check to see if he had a pulse this morning."

"Great, always good to keep up to date on your clinical skills," Jack told him unsympathetically.

Aaron snorted. "You all are keeping me _very_ up to date on my clinical skills. Psychiatry included."

Jack rolled his eyes and went back to his puzzle. After a moment, he tapped his pen against his chin. "Genere incorporating elements of funk and hip-hop—8 letters?"

"Acid jazz. How do you not know that?" Aaron grinned and shook his head as he moved to lean on the bed rail opposite to where Jack was sitting.

Jack stared at him incredulously. "This coming from the guy who had to _Google_ who 'Anderson Cooper' was yesterday?

Aaron shrugged then smiled. "That was actually a pretty solid jab. I mean I looked at the picture…you do kind of have the glasses…and the hair. And I thought Jay's nicknames were good."

Jack's cheeks flushed. "There's nothing wrong with my hair." He said defensively. "Of course, if Jay had to inherit anything from Sawyer it would have to be _that_."

Juliet shifted with an uncomfortable whimper in the bed beside them, catching their attention.

"Hey, easy there," Jack automatically stood and leaned over the bed rail to find that she had her hand wrapped around her chest tube. He gently plied her fingers away and replaced her hand back to her side. She twitched against his skin as he moved her, but she didn't have the strength to resist.

"That needs to stay in for a little longer," he told her and her eyes fluttered open at the sound of his voice. They were glassy, but seemed to focus on him. He could tell she was awake from the way her heart rate rose suddenly and made the alarm on the monitor beep. The noise seemed to frighten her more.

"Juliet," he kept his hand covering hers, rubbing small circles with his thumb. "It's Jack," he said kindly and watched her eyes widen.

"What's her sedation running at?" Jack spoke over the alarm, jabbing at the monitor to silence it.

Aaron moved to study the infusion pump with a frown. "It's not. My guess is the obstetrics team decided it was safer for mom and baby that way. Claire's got a spinal in for pain control," he said quietly and then paused. "I assume you were talking to Claire and Ringer?"

"Yeah," Jack agreed and diverted his attention back to Juliet who was staring up at him with fear in her eyes.

"Hey there, Juliet." He reached to brush her hair out of her face and felt her tense. "You're in the hospital," he told her, withdrawing his hand. He frowned at how quickly she was breathing.

"It's alright." He assured in the calmest voice that he could muster.

"Hey, it's Jack. You know me," He tried again to reach for her, which only seemed to agitate her further. He sighed and set his hand back on the bed railing, looking down at her sadly.

"No offense, but you don't exactly look like your 38-year-old self—the Jack that she knows." Aaron explained.

"Well gee, thanks Pal." Jack huffed, knowing he was right. He subconsciously ran a hand through his gray hair. "What a day for Sawyer to be out of commission." He noticed Juliet seemed to brighten at the name.

"Yeah," Aaron agreed and motioned for Jack to join him in the far corner of the room.

"Ellie texted me a little while ago and said he's still a bit drowsy so I don't really want to bring him in today," He said in a low voice. "We could try Jay though. I mean think about it, he looks and sounds a lot like Sawyer. It might help settle her down a little bit."

"You think he'll be up for it?" Jack wondered and scratched the back of his neck. "I pushed him pretty hard yesterday."

"I know you did," Aaron agreed. "But, Jay needs a good shove once in a while and yeah I think he'll be up for it." He gestured to the vases of sunflowers decorating the windowsill. "He's been spending almost as much time here as we have."

Juliet was still painfully awake an hour later when Jay walked into the room with an uncomfortable look on his face.

Both Jack and Aaron had repeatedly tried to talk to her, but she would tense every time one of them got close. This would cause her heart rate to rise and agitate her more. At one point, she made another move to tug at the chest tube hanging out of her side and Jack was starting to worry they would soon have to tie her arms to the bed rails.

"Thanks for coming, Jay" Aaron smiled warmly at him.

He nodded and shrugged off his brown leather jacket, hanging it on the chair that Jack had vacated along with his messenger bag.

"How is she?" He looked between the two docs standing as far away from Juliet as possible.

"Scared and very disoriented." Aaron told him once he walked over to join them. "She's more awake now and in a strange place with tubes hanging out of her. I think she might recognize Jack's voice, but he doesn't look like the Jack she knows so that's making things worse. I'm also a total stranger and haven't had much better luck."

"And ya think _I'm_ gonna help that?" He looked between the pair incredulously. "Can't ya just give her some of the happy juice ya had him hopped up on yesterday?"

Aaron noticed how he curiously didn't call Sawyer by name.

"Well no…we can't." Jack hedged, looking between Jay and Aaron.

"And Sawyer's at the house recovering so we were hoping that you could… pretend to be him for a bit," Aaron added.

"Oh is that all?" His eyes flashed and he looked like he was trying to maintain his composure. "Are you both fucking retarded?" He erupted with such force that Aaron was sure half the support staff would swarm the room with the security team.

"James?" Juliet croaked weakly.

Jay closed his eyes, blew out an exaggeratedly long breath. He walked toward the foot of the bed with his head hung low.

"Hey there, Sunshine" He mustered in as much of a drawl as he could. He had spent nearly all his life in Los Angeles so the accent came out more forced than his Dad's ever had. It wasn't that he didn't have one, it was just subdued and typically only showed itself with certain phrases or when he was drunk and singing karaoke. The later always seemed to bring it out, much to Claire's amusement.

Juliet tried to reach for him, craving the contact, but her arm gave out halfway through the motion.

"I don't know what's going on," she breathed still sounding a little afraid.

Her voice was hoarse from the endotracheal tube and lack of use. "There's someone here pretending to be Jack and I don't know what's wrong with me."

"He usually gets up there with her," Aaron whispered.

Jay shot him a drop-dead glare and turned his attention back to her.

"S'all right, Blondie yer in good hands." He tried to reassure her and continued to glare at Jack and Aaron who were smiling back at him as he lowered the rail of the bed.

"I don't understand." He could see the tears welling up in her eyes and reached to pull her against his chest, feeling some of the tension leave her muscles as she clung to him and rested her head under his chin.

"I know." He agreed. "Yer in the hospital. Ya got hurt and have been asleep for a while. Ya had ta have some surgery. It's just the drugs makin' ya a bit confused."

"Oh. Don't you mean the infirmary?" she asked tiredly.

Jay cocked an eyebrow and glanced at Jack who motioned for him to play along.

"Sure," he corrected with an air of complete annoyance. "I mean the _infirmary_. Ding and Dong over there are some of yer doctors. Ya got a few of em', but don't be afraid. They might need ta poke at ya from time to time, but none of them are gonna hurt ya. I promise."

She titled her head so that her blue eyes met his own.

"Was it Peterson?" she asked after a moment. She had to press her tongue to the roof of her mouth to mask the wheezy cough that had hitched in the back of her throat. His hand instinctively slid behind her to rub her back.

"I'm sorry…what?" He blinked.

"…who…did…the surgery?" She managed after a few tries.

Jay was continuing to glare daggers as Jack slipped out of the room with a wave and a thumbs up.

"Nah, it wasn't fucking Peterson," he grumbled and tried to adjust himself against the pillows so that his neck didn't cramp.

"Who was it?"

Jay rubbed his temples in frustration. "Shephard…she's new. Excellent doc."

He could see Juliet's eyebrows furrow even though her eyes remained closed.

"You think she's related to Jack?" she asked sleepily.

"Who cares if she's related to Jackass," he snorted indignantly and Aaron had to fight the laugh that was tickling his throat.

"You'll get ta meet her later so ya can ask her yerself," he said to placate her.

Juliet made a small motion with her head, attempting to nod, but didn't have the energy to lift it from his chest.

"Were you worried?" She asked after a while. He was sure she had drifted off.

"I was fucking terrified," Jay said with enough conviction that caused her to open her eyes and look at his face. She studied him for a long moment and then she frowned.

"When did you cut your hair?" She weakly managed to run her fingers through it, but just barely. It was cropped around his ears and lighter in colour than she remembered.

Jay winced. "This morning. Got tired of looking like a damn hippy. Now why don't you take a nice long nap, Blondie."

She yawned. "I won't tell Horace ya said that," she slurred and then went silent again. Neither Jay nor Aaron said anything for a good ten minutes as they waited to see whether she would stay asleep.

"Alright, I gotta get back to the OR," Aaron whispered, causing Jay's eyes to widen with annoyance.

"Who am I…the god damn nanny?" He whispered harshly and Aaron knew damn well he didn't mean it, but felt the need to lash out at someone.

"You're doing a great job with her, Jay. I'm sure your Dad would be proud." Aaron told him in a tone that completely disarmed the glower from his face.

He hung his head and wouldn't quite meet Aaron's eyes.

"Can ya at least pass me my damn laptop, Doc?" He whined and motioned to his messenger bag hanging on the chair.

* * *

"We are _really_ starting to make a habit out of this," Claire told him when she stepped in the room to check in on Juliet after her shift.

Jay was still sprawled on Juliet's bed with her head on his chest and his MacBook Pro balanced awkwardly across his lap. "The wifi in here is shit," he grumbled by way of a greeting, not looking up from the email he was typing.

Claire paused, noticing the music playing in the background.

"Didn't take you for a…yeah… actually I have no clue what song that is," she laughed and listened again, unable to identify the song. She walked over to the bed.

"Petula Clark. She seems ta like it and she ain't pullin' at stuff," He explained.

"Well, that's the most round about way of saying you wanted to do something nice for someone that I've ever heard," Claire chuckled.

"You should have brought your guitar. Your Mom loves it when you play."

He shot her a withering look and Claire raised her hands in mock surrender. "Alright, alright," she teased.

"How's she doing anyway? Dad texted to say she's a little more awake than she's been-and that she wasn't too happy to see him or Aaron."

Juliet stirred at the sound of Claire's voice.

"Hey, Juliet." Claire leaned in over Jay and very gently put her hand on her shoulder.

Jay could feel her muscles starting to tense so he placed his hand over Claire's. "S'alright," he told her. "She's one of yer docs who came to check on you."

Juliet groaned, but opened her eyes to look at Claire clad in her OR greens and Garfield scrub cap, which hid most of her curly brown hair.

"Hi Juliet," she said softly. "I'm Dr. Claire Shephard and like Jay said, I'm one of the docs looking after you."

"James," Juliet corrected, her eyes lazily trying to focus on Claire. "His name's James," she slurred.

"Yeah, Dr. _Freckles_." Jay agreed, trying to give her a clue. He then waggled his eyebrows at her with a look that clearly said ' _I've had enough of this, but for fuck sake just play along_ '.

Use of the name 'Freckles' seemed to irritate Juliet. He turned the music up louder so that she could hear it better. _Downtown_ —he knew it was one of her favourites.

"Ya like this one right?"

She hummed and gave a little nod. "S'nice."

"Okay, good."

"Juliet, are you in any pain right now?" Claire asked.

She shook her head, no. She felt exhausted, fuzzy, and very, very confused, but nothing seemed to hurt. She was more than content to curl into James and sleep for an eternity.

"That's really good. You had some surgery on your back so I did some nerve blocks and still have a spinal catheter in. I can give you some stronger medications through that if you need them." Claire explained. "Now I'm gonna get you to roll on your side so I can look at the incision. Maybe _James_ can help you?"

Claire locked eyes with Jay who glared back unpleasantly, but helped Juliet move so that Claire could inspect her back.

Juliet tolerated the exam with little complaint, paying more attention to the music than she was to Claire.

"Good. Healing really well," Claire assured, noticing Juliet had settled back into Jay's side and was already starting to doze again.

"You want me to bring you some supper?" She whispered to Jay. "I think yer gonna be hanging out here for a while."

"Better bring me ma damn laptop charger," he said resigned.


	13. Visiting Hours

**Five Minutes to Midnight**

**THIRTEEN: Visiting Hours**

True to her word, Claire returned 90 minutes later with his laptop charger and a several large takeout bags. Jay smiled at her gratefully when she entered the room.

"Brrr…It's a cold one," she remarked, shrugging out of her coat and depositing the items on the long, brown table next to the windowsill.

She handed him his charger as she plugged the other end into a wall outlet for him. She moved the only chair in the room to his side of the bed and sat down.

"I picked up a burger and fries for you. Aaron brought in some soup if you want to try and feed Juliet the broth," she told him.

"That won't hurt her?" Jay asked, resigned to his new role as "James" for the time being.

"Nah," Claire shook her head. "Just give her a little. There's some jello as well if she's up for it."

Jay nodded but she could tell that he was uncomfortable with the task.

"I'd help you, but…"

She fixed him with a serious look and glanced down at Juliet, who was sound asleep. She seemed perfectly happy to lay there and use him as a pillow. "You should stay tonight, Jay, so she doesn't get scared."

"And what are you gonna do?" He whined but didn't protest.

Claire grinned at him. "Oh, don't you worry about little ol' me. I've got Koda to keep me company."

Jay raised an eyebrow at her. "Well, seeing as yer leaving me for another woman…" he drawled, earning a light smack on the shoulder.

"Oh, come on! You said it yerself, 'she ain't got any lady parts'." Claire teased.

"Damn straight," he smirked. "Yer leaving me for an it."

"Stuff _it_ and eat your burger, LaFleur," she returned evenly.

"I would," he huffed. "But I think my damn arm's gone to sleep."

He gestured to how Juliet had trapped his left hand under her cheek. He could feel the pins and needles shooting up into his elbow. They seemed to worsen as soon as he drew attention to it. He flexed his wrist with a wince and caused Juliet to stir. She watched him groggily and made a weak attempt to look around.

"Where?" Her voice was raspy and thick with sleep.

"Infirmary," Jay sighed. "Ya had ta have some surgery, but yer nice and safe. I ain't gonna let anything happen to ya."

He knew the lines off by heart now and was well practiced with the mantra every time she woke. It was usually enough to settle her down, but Juliet could sense a change in the room and her eyes drifted lazily to Claire.

"Yer doc stopped by to say hi," Jay explained in a calm voice.

"And see if you were up for something to eat?" Claire offered.

Juliet stared at Claire clad in her green heavy wool sweater and jeans. It was an odd choice of dress for the muggy island weather. She had vague memories of meeting the woman earlier, but they were fleeting at best.

"You wanna sit her up and I'll go warm this?" Claire asked Jay as she took a container out of one of the bags and tapped it.

He nodded.

"You alright if we slide ya up a little bit?" He asked gently, stopping her when she tried to move on her own. Instead, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders to steady her as he pressed the button to raise the head of the bed so they were semi-sitting.

Juliet settled back against him and closed her eyes again, listening to the music that was still playing out of his laptop.

"This one's nice," she commented, drawing his attention to it. The 70s-appropriate Spotify playlist that he created for her must have ended and switched into the playlist of potentials that Claire had been compiling for their wedding.

"Mmmm." Jay agreed. His Mom and Claire seemed to be on the same page about a lot of things. He personally did not give a shit what they listened to so long as they got married, but Claire was particularly sentimental about it.

"Who sings it?"

Jay sighed. "Ed Sheeran."

Juliet yawned, but didn't open her eyes. "Never heard of him."

"I don't image you would have," he laughed. "It's an old one."

"Did the record come in on the sub?" she wondered.

"Sure."

He shifted and reached into his jeans pocket to finger a weather-beaten scrap of paper. He had been carrying around for the past three months and needed to assure himself it was still there. The paper had been folded so many times that it was worn thin. The pads of his fingers brushed against the ragged edges. He had spent far too many nights scratching out and re-writing lyrics for the song he was planning to surprise Claire with on their wedding day. He hadn't gotten the chords right yet, but he felt like he was getting close.

When he saw Claire watching them from the corner of the room he shoved it further down into his jeans. The paper crinkled against his fingertips.

"How about some soup?" Claire asked Juliet.

"What do ya think?" Jay tried to be as upbeat as possible. "Try a little bit. See if ya can get yer strength up."

Juliet was agreeable to a for a few spoonfuls but tired easily. She ended up dozing against his shoulder before Claire managed to pull the spoon from her lips.

"You, scram!" Jay told Claire while watching her put the cover back on the container. "It's gettin' late and ya gotta be back early in the morning."

Claire sighed. "You sure you'll be ok here?"

"I got my laptop and a cheeseburger. What more could a man ask for, Sweetheart?" Jay spoke with a thinly veiled swagger that Claire saw straight through.

"You call me if you need anything." She told him seriously. "And Dad's on tonight, so he'll probably be puttering around the hospital."

"We're fine," Jay assured. He watched her wheel the table closer to the bed so that he could eat his meal without disturbing Juliet. She leaned in to kiss him on the lips.

"Anything. At. All." She said again, her forehead resting against his.

"Go. Home. Sparks." He teased in the same abbreviated tone, offering her a dimpled grin as they accidentally knocked noses.

"She's doing really good," Claire assured and hugged him. She tucked the blankets around Juliet's shoulders before she left.

The next time Juliet woke, Jay was in the middle of debugging a problematic line of python script for work. She had been dead asleep for approximately three hours. He could tell that she was starting to grow restless by the way her toes had been twitching against his leg for the last half an hour. He wasn't sure if his fingers clicking furiously against the keyboard agitated her or if it was something else. When she woke up, she kicked him hard and shot up quickly. He almost knocked his laptop to the floor as he scrambled to grab her by the shoulders.

"Now where do ya think yer going?" He huffed, feeling her shudder.

She spun around and looked at him wide-eyed and fearful. Jay hated seeing her afraid.

"Let go," she pleaded, hoarsely. "I have to go."

Jay bit the inside of his cheek. He was unsure if she was actually seeing him. "Go? Go where?" He asked, exasperated.

Juliet closed her eyes and shook her head. "I have to go, James. I can't stay here," she repeated more quietly.

"Ok," Jay breathed as it clicked what was happening. "Yer just dreamin'." He said more to himself than to her.

"Why don't you just close yer eyes, Blondie? We can talk about this in the morning," he suggested. He tried to get her to lay back down. He felt the muscles in her back harden under his touch.

"Come on now," he breathed. "Everything's ok." He rubbed small circles across the thin fabric of her hospital gown with his thumbs.

Juliet whimpered and twisted herself from his grasp, falling across the bed rail as she did so. She hit it in frustration, making the bed rattle. She was fighting tears.

"I have to go." Her voice cracked and she hit the rail again for good measure. "We can't do this, James."

Jay sighed. "Do what?" He humored her.

Juliet's face contorted in distress and she shook her head vehemently. Whatever was upsetting her, she didn't seem to want to talk about.

"Jules, you really need ta rest now," he said slowly, giving her an out. He didn't like the tension her new position was putting on the tube hanging out of her side.

"I'm pregnant," she blurted. Her words made his mouth run dry. What the hell was he supposed to say to that?

"S'alright." He stammered awkwardly. Was he supposed to be excited? What would his Dad have done? He winced, it had been sixteen years and his memories of the man had faded significantly. He settled for the generic. "We'll handle it together." He hoped she would forget about it in the morning. This was Claire's department.

She closed her eyes and grimaced. "Women die here, James."

"You won't." He stressed. He wasn't sure what they were discussing, but it seemed like the right thing to say. "I'll make sure of that."

Juliet looked at him skeptically. Before she could respond, one of her hands absently brushed against the chest tube and she stared at it, frowning.

"James, what happened to me?" She sounded frightened.

Jay swallowed. "We can talk about that later, but first will ya come back to bed?" He bargained. "Ya need yer rest ta get better and for that little one." He pointed to her abdomen.

She sniffled and nodded once. It didn't take much more for him to coax her to laying back down. The earlier burst of energy seemed to fizzle out of her as she settled on her side against his chest.

"That's better," he praised, hoping she would fall back to sleep now that she was laying down. "Now, how bout you close yer eyes and take a nice nap?"

"What if I'm not cut out for this?" Her voice was filled with self-doubt. He could feel her trembling.

Jay gave her a sidelong glance and sighed. He reached to cover her with the white wool blanket that had pooled at their feet.

"Yer gonna be a great ma," he said slowly and rubbed another circle across her back in an attempt to get her to relax.

"Yer kind, calm, and won't get mad when this little one does something stupid just ta push yer buttons." Jay shook his head and let out a little self-depreciating laugh. "Because believe me, he will," he added as an afterthought.

" _He_?" Juliet asked sleepily. She tilted her head so that she was staring up at him through half-lidded eyes.

Jay winced at the slip of his tongue.

"Or she," he supplied added in an exasperated tone.

She frowned at him. "You want a boy?"

He swallowed and shifted uncomfortably. "Nah," he chuckled. "Just a figure of speech is all."

"A boy would be nice," Juliet yawned. "He could play with Julian if we ever manage to get home."

Jay's eyebrows knitted together. He hadn't seen his cousin, Julian Carlson, in the sixteen years since his Father's funeral. He had heard Julian had moved out east somewhere and was a hot shot executive for a fancy marketing firm. Jay didn't know the guy well. Julian was off at collage when Aunt Rachel came out to L.A. to stay with his Mom and him after his Dad had passed away.

"Go ta sleep now, Jules," he whispered. She was staring at him and the intensity of her gaze made him squirm a little. He could tell she was more lucid than she had been and doubted he could pull off the 'James' charade for much longer before she knew something was up. He could feel her blue eyes bore in to him.

He waited for a while to see what she would do. When she continued to stare he caved.

"Problem?" He mustered as much of a drawl as he could.

She seemed to tense again. Jay could feel the muscles in her back coil under his palm, leaving him to wonder what could have possibly put her on edge. She shifted to her side of the bed so that she was no longer touching him and chewed her bottom lip.

He watched her, confused.

"What'd I do?" He mumbled after a few more minutes of staring and silence.

"You're not okay with this, James," she told him in a tone that made her voice quiver. Her expression remained guarded, but Jay could sense the tumult of emotions she was hiding underneath. "Just come out and say it."

Jay swallowed and watched her wearily.

"Now hang on just a minute here," he hedged. His cheeks flushed and he rubbed the back of his neck. "Why would ya think I wouldn't want a kid?" He stammered after he took a few minutes to work though how to best approach the situation.

He was uncomfortable and wanted nothing more for Claire to step in and save him from the situation. She was always the people-person in their relationship.

"Because you've been so distant ever since I told you," Juliet said in a cold, matter-of-fact voice.

" _Distant_?" Jay echoed. Distant because he wasn't his Father and kept her at arm's length? He winced, if Claire ever told him that particular brand of news he'd be a hell of a lot more emotional than he was now. Jay winced, he barely reacted at all and Juliet was lucid enough to notice. His Dad likely would have been overjoyed.

Jay knew how much he loved Juliet and how much they had been through together. He would have held her, and kissed her, and told her how much he loved her. Jay felt queasy. This was his mother for fuck's sake. How the hell was he supposed to fix this one?

"Jules," he sighed and reached to pull her closer to him. Her expression turned to ice and he withdrew his hand in defense.

"It's just them baby hormones makin' ya feel that way, Sunshine. I love ya and the little one."

Her expression thawed slightly, but she made no motion to rejoin his side of the bed.

Jay squirmed, feeling way out of his comfort zone. "Jules, ya gotta do what's best for the baby. Ya know that, being a baby doctor and all. Sleep now. If ya stay upset it affects the baby. I don't wanna have it born glarin' at me because of some misunderstandin'."

Juliet snorted and rolled so that her back was toward him. Out of the corner of his eye Jay watched her hand drift to the triple lumen central venous catheter secured to the right side of her neck. Each of its three ports were connected to various monitors and she traced one of the lines with her fingers.

Jay bit his lip. She didn't seem to have any intention of going to sleep. This wasn't good. The more awake she was the more questions she would ask. He quickly slid his laptop into his messager bag and pulled out a ragged old paperback with the cover half torn off. He opened it in his lap and cleared his throat.

" _Part One: Blood Sport. RAIN OF STONES REPORTED It was reliably reported by several persons that a rain of stones fell from a clear blue sky on Carlin Street in the town of Chamberlain on August 17th. The stones fell principally on the home of Mrs. Margaret White, damaging the roof extensively and ruining two gutters and a downspout valued at approximately $25. Mrs. White, a widow, lives with her three-year-old daughter, Carietta."_

"What are you doing?" Juliet grumbled, but didn't turn around.

"Readin' ya a bedtime story."

"You think reading our unborn child Stephen King is a good idea?" She asked in a flat tone.

"Oh I'm sorry, would he prefer Shakespeare?" Jay returned, the corner of his lip curling into a grin. He one hundred percent was _not_ a Shakespeare fan. He winced at the slip of the pronoun again. If Juliet noticed she didn't let on. "Besides, Carrie's yer favourite. The kid will be fine with it."

Juliet stubbornly ignored him so he continued to read.

" _Nobody was really surprised when it happened, not really, not at the subconscious level where savage things grow. On the surface, all the girls in the shower room were shocked, thrilled, ashamed, or simply glad that the White bitch had taken it in the mouth again. Some of them might also have claimed surprise, but of course their claim was untrue. Carrie had been going to school with some of them since the first grade, and this had been building since that time, building slowly and immutably, in accordance with all the laws that govern human nature, building with all the steadiness of a chain reaction approaching critical mass."_

Jay paused to crane his neck and peer over at her. Her breathing had slowed significantly and he could tell she was fighting sleep. Her head had dropped back to the pillow but she was restless, lingering in that uneasy space between wakefulness and unconsciousness.

"That's it, you get yer rest," he encouraged.

Juliet heard sounds, not words, comforting syllables that shepherded her away. The exhaustion engulfing her body seemed to carry her past some imaginary barrier that the made her forget why she was upset. She welcomed the darkness that dulled her mind into a blissful state of relaxation. It was so easy to let go and let James' voice carry her away.

* * *

Sawyer was sitting at the table looking out the window into the backyard when Aaron padded the kitchen to make his morning coffee.

"You're up early," he commented as he pulled a coffee pod from the drawer and placed it in the Keurig.

He rolled his shoulders and glanced at the clock. "It's not even six." He remarked, barely stifling a yawn.

"Couldn't sleep." Sawyer grunted and continued to stare out into the darkness. The sun wasn't up yet and Aaron couldn't tell what he was looking at.

"That's fair," he agreed. "I know you've had more sleep than you wanted lately."

"Fuckin' Jacko."

"Yes, _fuck_ him for saving your life and making sure you are well rested so you don't blow your stent." Aaron returned dryly.

Sawyer bristled and whipped his head around to glare at him. "He fucking _blew_ us to 2040 and…"

" _And_ yer moody and need to lash out because you haven't seen Juliet in two days and you are scared to death." Aaron interrupted. He slid a mug of coffee in front of Sawyer and walked away to make his own before the man could say anything else.

Sawyer stared morosely into the mug, eventually bringing it to his lips when it became clear that Aaron was not going to engage him in _that_ particular subject of conversation. Instead, he hummed a tune that Sawyer didn't recognize while he checked his email and browsed the trending topics on Twitter.

"Is she still doing alright, Doc?" Aaron heard Sawyer ask in a thin, tense voice. Relenting, he stopped humming and set down his phone. He grabbed his coffee mug walked back over to the table.

"Yeah. I think you're going to see a big difference in her today. She's still really drowsy from the pain meds and a little disoriented, but she's off the sedation and you'll be able to talk with her."

"You serious?" Sawyer's eyes brightened and the frown lines seems to melt from his face.

Aaron grinned. "Yes. Claire, Jack and I have been keeping a close eye on her so she doesn't get scared." He didn't dare mention that Jay had been doing most of the leg work.

"She's not the biggest fan of Jack and myself, but she seems to have warmed up to Claire."

"Once she gets ta know ya I bet she's gonna get a kick out of the fact that yer Baby Huey." Sawyer assured.

Aaron blinked. "Not sure who that is, but thanks, I think."

"She'll love ya, Doc."

"Appreciate the vote of confidence." Aaron rocked on his heels. "Listen, she uh…still thinks she's back on the island in the 70s so we haven't corrected her."

Sawyer arched a dubious eyebrow. "Just like yer not telling the Doc and Freckles that they've got a couple of mini-me's running around?"

Aaron blew out a long breath. "It's _not_ the same thing. Kate'll probably be fine with it, but Claire and I decided that we don't want to put the extra stress on Jack right now. It'll take him a little while to get over that nasty concussion. I suspect he's gonna be pretty freaked out and Sam's still in Antarctica anyway."

Sawyer stared at him blankly. "Wait just a minute now…Antarctica? What the hell is he doin' there?"

Aaron gave an exaggerated shrug of his shoulders. "Damned if I know. Something that involves diving and penguins, I suspect, from the pictures he's been sending us. Although, there is this one of a leopard seal that looked like it was trying to eat him…" he trailed off.

"He could be up to anything really."

"You sure he ain't like the damn Doc?" Sawyer questioned, causing Aaron to make a face and quickly shook his head.

"Looks only. Personality-wise he's more chill than the penguins." Aaron paused and his tone became more serious.

"As for Juliet, we aren't actively trying to keep anything from her. We just thought the 'hey-guess-what-you've-time-traveled-to-2040' conversation should come from someone that she loves and trusts. Especially after everything she's been through." He fixed Sawyer with a knowing look.

Sawyer rubbed the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. His chest was filled with a nervous, fluttery feeling

"She's really ok?" He asked again, needing the reassurance.

"Yes, she's really ok." Aaron echoed. "Give me like twenty minutes to shower and you'll get to see for yourself."


	14. The Silent Treatment

**Five Minutes to Midnight**

**FOURTEEN: The Silent Treatment**

Ellie was curled up on the couch with her iPad when she heard the mechanical whirr of the garage door opening. Caitlyn must have noticed it to because she set down her crayon and ran toward the sound.

"Daddy! Daddy!" Caitlyn bounced in front of the glass storm-door that lead into the garage.

Aaron watched her, grinning. She almost bowled him over as he slid out of his car. He bent to her eye-level. "What's got you all excited?" he smiled.

"It's Friday!" she beamed.

"And that means it's only _two_ more days until Monday when school starts up again!" He teased, holding up two fingers. She made a face.

"No? That's not why you're excited?" Aaron scratched his chin. "But you love Mrs. Mathieson's class!"

Caitlyn pouted, tired of the game. "I'm going to Grandma and Grandpa's and we're going to roast marshmallows, and go on hikes, and maybe go fishing!" she announced.

"You are?" Aaron pretended to consider. "I thought you were going to stay home with me and do paperwork?"

Caitlyn gave him a stern that reminded him of Ellie. He broke out in a wide grin and scooped her against his right shoulder. She wrapped her hands around his neck as he carried her inside. "Of course, you are, Sweetheart." He chuckled and kissed her cheek. "You'd better get packed because Grandpa got off early today to come get you. He's on his way!"

"Yay!" He barely had time to set her down before she launched herself down the hall.

"No running in the kitchen!" Ellie called, watching her whiz by. Aaron shook his head and rested his elbows on the back of the leather couch to peer down at Ellie.

"Getting off at noon on a Friday is the best," he remarked, grinning.

"Mmmm … rub it in why don't ya."

Aaron started down at her iPad: _TITLE V. DISCLOSURES AND DISCOVERY: Producing Documents, Electronically Stored Information, and Tangible Things, or Entering onto Land, for Inspection and Other Purposes._

"That looks _extremely_ boring," he drawled.

Ellie groaned. "It is. There's a reason I typically don't practice real estate law. I'm probably gonna go into the office for a few hours this afternoon to sort through this shit."

"All the while I'm here by my lonesome enjoying the sunshine?"

"You're a big boy, I think you'll manage." She craned her neck to smile up at him. He leaned over the couch to kiss the top of her head. Then she frowned, noticing that he was alone.

"Where's Sawyer?" She asked.

"Still at the hospital with Juliet," Aaron explained. "I think I'm gonna have some trouble prying him away from her side now that she's awake." He laughed. "Claire's gonna check in on them when she gets off, see if he's willing to come home for some supper. If not, I'll run some stuff out to him later. How are things here?"

Ellie sighed. "Tense. I think Jack's still not feeling well and is a little on the grumpy side, which, I think, is pissing off Kate. They've got this whole passive-aggressive thing going on. I haven't seen much of either of them today. There's a whole lot of silent treatment going on."

"Conducive for working," Aaron tried to joke. "And that sounds about right. They are stressed and have been through a lot. Kate's been stuck in here all week and probably feels cooped up. Jack is extra grouchy because he's still coming down off god knows what and refusing the oral diazepam. I feel bad that I got so preoccupied with Sawyer's surgery that I've barely seen the two of them all week. Are they still doing that thing where they won't stay in the same room as each other?"

"Mostly, except at night to sleep."

"Than we won't inform them they have a choice in the matter." Aaron laughed. "They are too stubborn for their own good."

Ellie reached up to run her fingers through his blonde hair and smooth it down. It was sticking up at awkward angles from the scrub cap that he had been wearing most of the morning.

"Well, let's hope they figure it out soon," she said, prodding at a particularly stubborn strand. He titled his neck down to give her better access. "I'm a little worried about Jack. He quiet and barely leaves that room."

Aaron sighed and kissed her cheek. She shuddered and squirmed away from him.

"Lose the scruff," she complained, earning an eye roll.

"You're home early."

Aaron blinked and pushed off the back of the couch. He turned to see Kate standing by the patio door, watching him.

Aaron smiled. "Yup," he agreed, and rolled his shoulders. "I have a personal rule that I don't work past noon on Fridays."

He didn't tell her that it was Jack's personal rule. He had only adopted it after Caitlyn had been born premature and he vowed to spend more time with his family.

"That sounds like a good rule."

"It usually is. Got the short stick this week cause I'm on call at midnight but…" he shrugged. "I'll take what I can get. How's your morning been?"

"Good."

He saw through the forced smile she put in place. Her eyes were sad, and he could tell her muscles were coiled with a pent-up tension that she didn't quite know what to do with.

Caitlyn burst into the room, bouncing, before he could address it.

"Is it time yet? Can I go, can I go?"

Aaron looked her over. She was wearing her pink North Face jacket on with a pair of sun glasses tucked into the collar. Her Disney Princess backpack was stuffed to the brim and slung over one shoulder. He could make out the fuzzy ear of her stuffed rabbit escaping through a gap in the zipper. "Please can we go?"

Aaron had felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and knew Jack was waiting.

"Shoes." He told her patiently and pointed to her bare feet.

"Right!" She turned on her heals and ran back through the kitchen.

"What's gotten in to her today?" Kate wondered, watching the scene.

Aaron laughed. "Her Grandfather is picking her up and they are going to the cabin for the weekend. I didn't tell her until last night for this exact reason."

Caitlyn had skidded back before Kate could comment. She stood at Aaron's feet and looked up at him. "Now can I go?" she whined.

He cocked an eyebrow at her and pretended to consider. "O-kay…but…" he trailed.

Caitlyn watched him intently, waiting for him to finish his sentence. Aaron could see her starting to squirm.

"Go give your mother a hug and a kiss."

Caitlyn launched herself onto the couch and hugged Ellie, who ruffled her hair. "Be careful," she told her. "Your Dad and I are just a phone call away if you need anything. And listen to Grandma and Grandpa!"

"Okay, Mommy!" Caitlyn kissed her on the cheek before she climbed off the couch. She looked up at Kate, arms outstretched. Kate knelt to her level to hug her and Aaron could see something brighten in her eyes.

"Bye, Kate!" Caitlyn said happily

"Bye, Munchkin."

This time, when Caitlyn presented herself to Aaron he beamed down at her. He bent to pick her up, hugging her as she wrapped her arms around his neck. They turned and headed toward the garage, Aaron craned his neck back toward Kate. "I'll be back in a sec," he told her.

Kate watched Aaron's retreating form, finding it strange that Ellie appeared disinterested in greeting her own parents. "So, your parents have land around here?" She hedged in an attempt to make small talk.

Ellie looked up from what she was reading and laughed. "Nope. My parents live in Vancouver so we usually only see them when we go on vacation."

She noticed the confusion playing on Kate's features and offered a patient smile. "Jack's picking her up," she explained.

Kate stared at her in disbelief.

Jack had parked his Classic Edition Bronco across the front of Aaron's driveway. He leaned against it with his sleeves rolled up and his arms crossed, enjoying the feeling of the breeze ruffling his hair. His old Bronco had packed it in about 10 years ago. He had been absolutely elated when Ford came out with a re-release. Kate was less than impressed. He pulled up after work one day, sporting a clone of the original except it had a significantly more modern interior

" _They made more of them?" she had exclaimed, incredulously._

" _Kate, these things never go out of style,"_ _he beamed, proudly._

" _But really, Jack. Do they come in any other colors?"_

The sparkle in his eyes had been so bright that Kate couldn't help but hug him. She had humored him for a full hour as he listed off all the reasons that they should get one for her.

"Grandpa!"

Jack peered over his sunglasses, grinning. "Hey there, Jelly Bean."

Aaron let his daughter down so that she could run to Jack. The zipper of her backpack had started to unzip and he could see the beady eyes of her stuffed rabbit staring back at him.

"Whoa Caitlyn, hold up or Luke Skyhopper's goin' overboard!"

Caitlyn stopped and pouted. "Daddy, that's _not_ his name," she protested, but allowed Aaron to tuck the creature back in her bag.

"Do you really have to turn _everything_ into a Star Wars pun?" Jack asked him, laughing at the pair.

"Come on," Aaron protested. "That's a good one."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Sure it is, almost as good as when you tried to name Sam's dog 'Chewbarka'," he deadpanned.

"Oh, it's _never_ too late for Chewbarka," Aaron protested. "Kate's probably got some empty nest syndrome goin' on. I'm sure she'd love a furry companion."

"She has me," Jack retorted. "And didn't we _just_ get rid of you three?" his voice was filled with mirth. "No thanks! Kate and I are enjoying our alone time _way_ too much."

"Okay…no. Gross." Aaron made a face and teasingly reached down to cover Caitlyn's ears. "Not infront of the kid."

Caitlyn pried his fingers away with her tiny hands. "Daddy, stop," she complained.

Jack smiled and knelt to hug her. "Already to go, Kiddo?" He asked, earning an excited grin.

"Yeah!"

Jack surveyed at her for a moment, considering. He reached for her sunglasses, placed them on top of her head, and glanced down at her eyes that match his own. "Now yer ready to go," he smirked. "We just gotta pick up Grandma then we can hit the road."

"You be good for Grandma and Grandpa," Aaron warned, leaning his hand on the open side-door of the Bronco. He watched Jack strap her into the booster secured to his back seat.

"I will Daddy!"

He leaned in to kiss her once more before Jack closed the door.

"Thanks for taking her this weekend," He said to Jack, clapping the man on the shoulder.

"Aaron, she's our Granddaughter. We want her whenever we can get her," Jack beamed.

"Well, I still really appreciate it. It's been a bit of a long week."

Jack noticed for the first time how tired the younger man looked. "And I'm sorry for everything we've done to contribute to that," he said solemnly.

"Nope, not going there." Aaron didn't like the brooding expression that had started to play across Jack's features so he pulled the man in for a brief hug. "We do what we have to for family."

"Alright," Jack agreed and his expression changed.

"What?" Aaron tilted his head, watching the amusement play over Jack's features.

"Don't look now, but we've got a bit of an audience," Jack chuckled and quickly flicked his eyes toward the living room window. His heart warmed at the sight of his beautiful wife… she was so young. She only got better with age.

Inside, Kate was watching the exchange in utter shock. She knew she shouldn't be eavesdropping, but she had to see for herself. She didn't know what she had been expecting, but it wasn't to see Jack, leaning against that same old damn Bronco with a happy, relaxed expression on his face. She could tell he had just come from work.

He was wearing a pin-striped Oxford with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, exposing the tattooed skin underneath. His arms were crossed, hiding the brightly coloured stars that she knew arced up his left forearm. The most distinguishing change was his grey hair, long enough to be ruffled slightly by the faint breeze. His eyes were hidden by a dark pair of Ray Bans that seemed to suit him well.

The part of Kate's brained that hadn't been stunned by the pure shock of what she looking at marveled at the scene. She did the math in her head. He would have just turned 71. _Damn he looked good!_

"Kate? What's wrong?" Jack was on the stairs, watching her stand motionless at the window. His brow furrowed in confusion when she didn't respond.

"Kate, what…" He froze when he reached the window and his breath hitched in his chest. The last thing expected was to be looking at a much older version of himself and that same old Bronco. Or was it the same? He shook his head to clear it.

Kate glanced at him wistfully out of the corner of her eye. Jack caught it, but it disappeared as soon as he looked at her. "What?" he asked. He looked back at himself.

Kate walked away slowly, drifting over to the kitchen island where she pulled out a stool to sit on. She kept her back to him and hoped he would take the hint.

In her mind, she saw the older, happier Jack and the good life they have in 2040. She couldn't imagine how they got to that point. She loved Jack, but he had been so obsessed with erasing the past. She had his back and would support him but had doubts about how he felt about her. He said it 'was all misery' and he could erase all of it, despite her telling him it wasn't. That meant the good times together and love they had shared would all be erased. He would rather see her locked up with a life sentence or possible death penalty courtesy of Marshal Mars and the good old boys club back in Iowa, having never met her. It made her feel low and unwanted, but she was true to her words. She always had his back, even if she didn't agree with him. And even if that meant her death by bomb or lethal injection.

Jack's eyes were bloodshot and rimmed with dark circles. He knew he looked just as bad as he felt and he didn't care. Aaron had offered him the diazepam to relax him and spare him from the muscle cramps and nausea, but he had refused to take it. The pleasant, snowed feeling was too much like the oxys. He was afraid of falling into that trap again, wanting it too much. He didn't want to be addicted anymore. He needed his senses to figure out how to fix this mess and get them back to 2007, not to be stoned or knocked out.

He had a hard time turning from the image of his future self, but could feel Kate's presence strongly. Something was wrong and it made the air feel heavy.

"Kate, what's going on?" he asked, more sharply than intended. The headache that had been lingered since he had woken up in 2040 only worsened his mood.

She glanced at him. "Nothing." She was irritable and not in the mood for one of his interrogations.

"Something's obviously wrong." He was terse. "Why don't you just tell me so I don't have to play guessing games with you? It's me, isn't it?" Jack was tense. He knew why they were there and it was his fault. He already felt guilty and assumed Kate blamed him for sticking them in the situation.

Kate put her elbows on the counter and covered her face with her hands. She groaned. _Here we go again_ , she thought. _Jack can't just let it go._ She didn't want to hurt him further. She was trying to protect him and willing herself not to lash out. She knew the hurtful things she could say in anger would only make him feel worse. He always needed her in his corner, but after the bomb . . . she wondered if he was in _her_ corner? If not, when did he leave?

"Just drop it, Jack." Kate muttered.

"No. Say it! You think it's my fault that we're here, don't you? You're wondering how we're going to get back and blaming me for taking you away from Aaron, little Aaron, and fucking up everything with that damn bomb!" Jack's words were bitter. His head pounded as he voiced his own insecurities. He wanted to hear it from Kate's own mouth. She _did_ blame him. He knew it.

"I never said that! Stop assuming, Jack! You are way out of the ballpark on this one!" Kate snapped.

"So, you're okay with this? Being blasted to 2040 with no way to go home? It's my fault. Go ahead and say it! I know you want to!" Jack's face was turning red. He stood and paced, angry at himself and venting, wanting to hear it out loud from the one person he knew would tell him what he wanted to hear. Except her mouth was like Fort Knox when it came to secrets and things he wanted to know. _It was like pulling teeth sometimes to get her to talk_ , he reasoned. He rubbed his right temple with his fingers to assuage the throbbing pain.

Kate turned and watched him. She knew he wasn't feeling well, but she was pissed. "Am I happy to be in 2040 indefinitely? No. I wish you weren't so blind, Jack. Our life obviously wasn't 'all misery.' Did you even look at yourself, happy and relaxed in the driveway? Did you even picture a future with me, with Aaron and someday having grandchildren when you proposed? Or, was it one of those impulsive things you did because something happened?" She narrowed her eyes at him. He had stopped pacing and looked at her, momentarily speechless. She obviously was close to the mark.

He closed his eyes and slammed his fist down on the counter— hard. She recoiled at the sound, but he didn't care. "Stop trying to change the subject, Kate. Just say it, already! Say what you really feel!" He was beyond frustrated. He loved her but didn't feel worthy and was waiting for the hammer to come down on his royal screw up. He wanted her to deliver the blow.

"You want to know the truth? I don't blame you! I went along with it, even though it wasn't 'all misery' like you kept saying. You were willing to throw away _me_ and _our relationship_ , the good times too, and wipe _everything_ out. You were willing to throw me to the dogs and end up with a life sentence or the death penalty because you stopped caring about me."

She was breathing rapidly, a flush creeping up her neck and cheeks. "Want some more truth?! I went back to that damn island because _I love you,_ Jack! When did you stop loving me? When did I become so worthless to you that you would throw my 'fate' into the wind? Let's not forget you could have killed everyone by following Farrady's 'bible' you carried around, all because 'nothing ever felt so right' in your life. Not even _us_!" Hot tears fell rapidly down her face. She didn't want to hear the answer.

She needed to be alone, to hide. She exposed her feelings, that she still loved him, cared and he obviously didn't. _She_ blamed herself for letting him push her to that point, for being fool enough to take the bait. She turned and fled up the steps. The bedroom door slammed heavily behind her.

There was nothing but silence in her wake, silence and a stunned Jack.

That was _not_ what he was expecting to hear.

He sat down slowly on the stool that she had vacated. He covered his mouth with his hands before running them through his hair. _What had he done?_

Aaron had come inside to sit by Ellie on the couch, becoming unintentional witnesses to the blow up in the kitchen. They exchanged a worried look.

"So much for the silent treatment," Aaron muttered, his voice low and well out of Jack's earshot. "Aren't you glad that when we fight it's usually over who's doing the dishes?"

Ellie rolled her eyes, knowing his defense mechanism when he was stressed was to crack a poorly timed joke.

"I'll bet that trip to the office is looking _real_ nice right now," he whined uncomfortably. "We could totally trade. You stay here, I'll learn to be a lawyer and…"

"Aaron," she interrupted his ramble and placed her hand flat against his chest. She could feel his heart thumping against her palm. "It'll be okay."

His eyebrows furrowed and he sighed, feeling the need to pull her into his arms. "Yeah, I know," he whispered into her neck as he hugged her. "But that was a little intense, even for them."

"Maybe its time we separated those two for a bit?" She suggested.

Aaron sighed. "What are you thinking?"

"You could try the whole male bonding thing with Jack. See if you can get him out of his own head for a little while."


	15. I'm Sorry I Let Go

**Five Minutes to Midnight**

**FIFTEEN:** **I'm Sorry I Let Go**

Aaron wasn't surprised to find Jack still bent over the kitchen island with his head in his hands. His neck was flexed in a low, defeated posture as his elbows rested on the counter top. He started to rub his temples, clenching his jaw as if he was in pain.

Aaron stood, watching him for a while. The tension coiled around his body like a live wire. It made Aaron glad he rarely kept alcohol in the house. Jack looked like he wanted to drown himself in a bottle of Scotch. It stunned Aaron to think that Jack, the man who he went to with all his problems, was struggling so badly. He was always level-headed about everything. The guy Aaron counted and depended on. Then, a light bulb turned on in Aaron's head. His Friday afternoon off policy, the way he always phoned Kate on his lunch breaks simply to tell her he loved her, long weekends at the cabin and fishing trips with Sam…these were all behaviours Jack had leaned as a result of whatever he was going through now. He was proud Jack came back so strongly after hitting absolute rock bottom. It only made him idolize the man more.

"Hey, Jack." Aaron approached him slowly. He sat at the island and mirrored the man's posture. Jack continued to stare down at the white quartz print in the countertop—lost in thought. He didn't know what to do with himself. Kate went back to the island because _she loved him_ and he decides to blow them all to hell by detonating a nuclear bomb. He had fucked everything up for all of them. They trusted him and he almost got them killed—Juliet especially. _What had he done?_

"Come on," Aaron said gently. "Let's get out of here for a while." He frowned when Jack didn't react. "Jack…" He gently rested his hand on Jack's right shoulder and held it there until Jack finally looked at him.

"How about we go for a drive and give Kate some space?" he whispered, holding Jack's gaze. He could see a myriad of emotions playing over the man's expression.

"We don't have to talk," Aaron assured with a smile. "Let's just go put some tunes on. There's something I've been meaning to get your help with."

Aaron knew the man well enough to understand if suggesting they were doing something for Kate didn't get him moving, asking for help would.

Jack was less than impressed when Aaron pulled into a golf course 45 minutes later. He shot Aaron an annoyed look.

"What?" Aaron shrugged. "I was hoping you could _help_ me improve my swing."

"Besides," he said, getting out of the car, "it's a sunny Friday afternoon and you love golf." Aaron hoped Jack would follow. He was stubborn enough to sit in the car and wait Aaron out if he wasn't in the mood.

Thankfully, he was either too distracted or too worn out to protest. He followed Aaron wordlessly.

* * *

Juliet woke to a soft, gentle hand gliding along her back. She sighed and snuggled deeper into her pillow. She was pleasantly warm and savoured the floaty, relaxed feeling that seemed to bubble through her. When she thought about it, she felt a little weird, kind of doped up and hazy. It wasn't unpleasant, just enough to set her off-kilter.

"James?" She sighed and blindly extended one arm to reach of him. Her hand came back with empty space.

"Shhhh…" a voice soothed from somewhere above her. "Try and relax. James has been here with you all morning. I just sent him to the cafeteria to get something to eat while I took out your chest tube. All done now."

Juliet blinked as the spell shattered. She jolted awake and clamored to push herself up, panicking. Hands grabbed her by the shoulders, restraining her as she twisted in blind panic. Her fight or flight response kicked in at full force.

"Come on, it's alright, Juliet. My name's Claire. I'm your doc, remember?"

The burst of adrenaline coursing through her broke through the sleepy haze subduing her mind. She didn't even feel her injured back as her fist connected with the solid frame of her bed. The sting in her knuckles slowed her momentarily, but then she pivoted her body. Her knees buckled the moment her bare feet hit the cool floor. Her hands braced her fall, palms hitting off the linoleum with a dull smack. She gasped, feeling the sting. Strong arms wrapped around her middle in a vice grip.

"Juliet!"

She started to thrash. She needed to get away, but the arms were pulling her backwards against something warm and solid. She pinched her eyes shut as she tried to regain enough composure to work out what was happening. _Had she been kidnapped?_ Her fists clenched, beating on her captor's chest in defiance.

"Hey, stop that, Blondie. Yer okay, It's just me. It's James." A familiar voice echoed. She stopped struggling. Her blows gradually fading into a light tapping. The grip around her loosened slightly.

Juliet let the breath she was holding spill over her dry lips. "James?" She asked weakly, forcing her eyes open. She tilted her neck upwards. His eyes were filled with unshed tears.

"I got ya, Blondie" Sawyer croaked. "I ain't lettin' ya go." He took a deep, shaky breath as he tried to rein in his own emotions. "I promise…I ain't lettin' ya go. Not this time."

She could feel the heat of his palms through her thin hospital gown—warm and reassuring. Exhausted, she let her head drop against his chest, tucking it under his chin. He rubbed long, slow circles across her back.

"Mmmm…"she sighed, her eyes roaming over his face. There was something dark and fearful in his hooded eyes. "What's wrong?" she asked weakly. Something had changed, but she couldn't place what it was. She trembled, goosebumps had started to form on her arms.

"Let's get ya back in bed. Yer shiverin'" He dodged the question.

Juliet blinked. There was an edge to his voice that she didn't recognize. "James," she hesitated. "Where are we?" Her eyes swept the room with a quick, half-lidded glance.

He choked out an uncomfortable laugh, jostling her slightly as he shook his head. His shaggy hair fell into his eyes as he did so.

Juliet frowned, remembering something. "This isn't the infirmary?" She was sure James had told her she got hurt and had to stay in the infirmary.

From the look on his face, Juliet could tell she was missing something. "James," she prompted.

Something was wrong with him. Her fingers curled around the soft red and white flannel shirt he was wearing. She didn't recognize it and she did most of his laundry. If it wasn't for his strong scent woven into the material she would have doubted he had ever put it on. The style wasn't right. She felt his hand on her forehead, smoothing her hair back. His scent mingled with something thick and anti-septic smelling. It was more pungent than the infirmary and made Juliet's nose wrinkle.

"No," he sighed. He had to fight to keep his voice from shaking too much. "Not the infirmary," he muttered. "We ain't on the island anymore."

Juliet stared up at him, her crystal blue eyes diluted with confusion. "What," she mouthed, feeling the panic start to creep up again. Sawyer blew out a breath and didn't answer her. His face was a mask of poorly contained loss.

_"I don't care who I looked at. I'm with you."_

_"And you would stay with me forever if I let you, and that is why I will always love you. What we had, it was just for a little while, and just because we love each other, it doesn't mean that we're meant to be together. I mean, maybe we were never supposed to be together. So if Jack can make it that-that none of you ever come here, then he should."_

_"Why you doing this, Juliet?"_

_"I... if I never meet you, then I never have to lose you."_

A wave of sickness washed over her.

" _Hold on! You hold on!"_

"I fell," she whispered in a hoarse, broken voice. "I'm sorry I let go."

The dam broke and she was trembling, and crying, and clinging to whatever part of him she could manage.

"I really didn't want you to let go…I…" Her vision was swimming in a puddle of sloppy tears that made everything around them look somehow dull and maddeningly blurry.

"Shhhh…" He rasped between his own tears. His voice was so low that she barely recognized it. "Yer safe now and I ain't lettin' you go. I can't Jules," he croaked. "I just can't live without ya. Please don't make me."

"I'm so sorry." She whispered into his mouth, mustering the energy to rest her forehead against his and kiss him without abandon. Her hands slid from his chest to his back. She felt a deep groan reverberate through him. One of his hands arced upward, fingers tangling in the tussled locks that spilled over her face.

Juliet let a tiny whimper escape through her pink lips, feeling the scrape of his stubbled jaw along her chin. The slow burn of the tiny hairs made her entire face tingle.

"I didn't want to lose you...I know I did, but I…" He started to mutter. He opened wider to try and draw in air, but he was too choked up. "I thought I lost you."

Juliet froze, reluctantly drawing away from his lips. "James, I detonated the bomb."

He blinked and pulled back enough to watch the tears stream down her cheeks. Her eyes were puffy and red, and the central line sticking out of her neck was threatening to come loose; if she moved any further away from the machines it was still connected to. The IV in her left hand was in a similar state. He needed to get her off the floor.

"It wouldn't go off…I had to hit it with a rock," she sniffled, not quite meeting his gaze.

"Oh, Juliet." He bundled her into his arms and laid on the bed with her, letting her cry against his shoulder. He rubbed her back with his right hand. His palm glided over the bulky dressing covering where she had been cut. A small, thin, wire curled out of the side of her gown and allowed for intrathecal pain medications to be delivered.

"How are we still here?"

He drew in a deep breath and let it go. "The bomb caused us to time travel again," he said slowly. "Cause we haven't experienced enough of this _Back to the Future_ bullshit already."

Juliet winced. "We reset things back to 2004?"

Sawyer shook his head. "No. The Jackass was way off on that one," he grumbled. "We ended up in Los Angles, 2040."

Juliet pushed herself off his chest to look at him. Her eyebrows narrowed in confusion. "What…" she stammered.

"Yeah," he snorted. "Hence all this," he gestured to her hospital room with a broad sweep of his hand. "You were pretty banged up when we came through, but the docs here have been takin' care of ya. Yer still in the ICU and had to have some surgery bout a week ago."

"Surgery…a week ago?" Juliet repeated. Her anxiety was creeping up again and her mouth had run dry. "James, what…"

He swallowed hard and she heard the telltale gurgling sound of someone trying to hold back emotion. He shook his head again, face raw and unmasked.

"James," she placed a chaste kiss on his neck. The fingers of her left hand traced along his cheeks. His skin was flushed and damp from the tears he shed.

"Sorry to interrupt." Dr. Claire Shephard lingered in the doorway. She felt guilty as they both startled.

"It's good to see you're awake, Juliet." Claire smiled and reached to tuck a stray curl behind her ear. She had been removing Juliet's chest tube when she had woken. Once she saw that Sawyer had the situation under control she had ducked out of the room to give them their privacy.

"This is your doc," Sawyer said with as much composure as he could manage.

Claire beamed at them in a very familiar way that set Juliet on edge. She just couldn't place why. Sawyer sensed what was bothering her. "Her name is Dr. Claire Shephard. Apparently around here, Kate and Jack managed to keep it together long enough to raise a couple of kids."

Claire rolled her eyes out of habit. His tone reminded her very much of Jay.

She offered Juliet a warm smile. "And still _happily_ married," she told them playfully.

Juliet watched her drowsily. "We've met before?" She hedged.

"Yeah," Claire agreed. "I've been in and out all week. You've had a bunch of different meds running through your system and it's totally normal to feel a little off."

Juliet nodded. "What happened to me?"

Claire sighed and reached to cover Juliet with the white wool blankets that had pooled around her feet. When she finished, she perched on the chair next to the bed.

"Your body's been through a great deal of trauma." Claire explained, crossing her leg across her knee and leaning forward. "When we found you, you were quite shocky from a lac in your spleen so we transfused you a couple of units and did an exploratory laparotomy with splenectomy."

The pads of Juliet's fingers moved to seek out the bandage covering her abdomen. The little colour she did have drained from her face.

"It's healing," Claire assured. "We don't like to do open procedures if we can avoid them, but you were dangerously hypotensive and we needed good hemostatic control."

Juliet closed her eyes for a second and took a deep breath. When she opened them, she looked to Claire to continue.

"I know," Claire whispered. "It's a lot to take in, but you are doing really well." Claire suspected Juliet was upset about her abdomen being cut open for an entirely different reason.

"How about…" she hesitated and glanced at Sawyer, who didn't appear to be in much better condition. "…We kick this guy out for a couple of minutes and have a girls' only chat?"

Sawyer's expression hardened and the prospect of leaving her side and Juliet shook her head sadly. "The baby's gone isn't it?" Her tone was flat.

"The _what_?" Sawyer stammered. Juliet had tried to look away as she heard Sawyer's breath hitch. Her body had gone completely rigid.

Claire smiled and reached for Juliet's hand, squeezing it gently. "No." She raised her head to make sure Juliet would meet her gaze. "Baby is doing just fine. It's almost 11 weeks, measuring well and a good, _strong_ , heart beat on doppler. That little one is as tough as nails," she grinned. _They had no idea._

She surveyed the couple with a wry grin. "Better keep him laying down, Juliet. James looks like he's gonna pass out."

* * *

"Seriously…" Aaron pressed his hand to his forehead to filter out the sunlight as he watched the ball whiz across the driving range. "How did you do that?"

"What?" Jack blinked. "Hit the ball?"

"Funny," Aaron retorted. They had been hitting golf balls on natural, fairway-height grass for the past twenty minutes. Jack preferred the real thing versus the green mats with white, rubber tees. He noticed Jack was starting to warm up to the activity. His swing improved as his body relaxed and his mind became focused on the shots.

"Yes," Aaron huffed, exasperated. " _Hit the ball_."

Jack shrugged. "Anyone can hit a ball. That's not golf." He sent another ball flying for good measure. "Golf is accuracy."

Aaron snorted and rolled his eyes. "Yup, I've heard that one a couple of dozen times."

The corners of Jack's lips curled slightly as he glanced over at Aaron, who was assuming his golf stance to address the ball. "We've done this before huh?"

"Few times a month at least. Or after a difficult case at work to blow off some steam," Aaron said as he took his swing. He hooked the shot with his driver. It bounced and rolled to a stop far left of the pin he aimed at. "At least _you_ seem to think it's a good stress reliever," he teased.

Aaron noticed Jack was watching him with a strange expression on his face. He cocked an eyebrow at him in response.

"You know, it would help if you kept your left arm straight. Your grip on the club is a little loose. It's causing the club face to turn left on your downswing. That's why you're hooking the ball."

Aaron stared down at his hands and let out a self-deprecating laugh. Of course Jack would notice that. "Can't do much about it I'm afraid." He shifted his club into his right hand and held his left out to show Jack how his fingers curled awkwardly into a weak fist.

Jack grabbed for Aaron's left hand before he could pull it back, gently tracing out the muscle groups with his thumb. He probed a thin line of scar tissue and frowned. "Your flexor function isn't intact?"

"Nope," Aaron sighed. "I put it through a window a few years back and severed FDP at zone II." He tried to sound casual and brushed it off, even though he knew Jack would press him for the details. That was just Jack being Jack.

"A window?" Jack echoed, still examining the scarring on Aaron's palm.

"Yeah, the one in the garage…always hated that thing." Aaron had no idea why he was digging in his heels and prolonging what he would eventually tell the man anyway.

Jack didn't directly ask, but Aaron could see the questioning in his tired, brown eyes and knew what he was thinking. "Obviously not my brightest move," he admitted. "Probably made it worse because I waited a while before getting all of the glass out of it."

He bit the inside of his cheek and ducked his head. "I was kind of grouchy at the time and wouldn't let you anywhere near it. Wrapped the damn thing in a towel and we went a road trip down the coast for a bit instead," he mumbled.

"Bad shift?" Jack released his hand and raised his head to study Aaron's face. He remembered all the times he had lashed out when things had gone badly in the OR. He sure as hell hoped Aaron had not picked that habit up from him. His mind also drew the uncomfortable conclusion that Aaron had come to him after it happened. Aaron _trusted_ him even after everything he had done. His mouth went dry. _Why would he do such a thing?_

"Good guess, but no." Aaron let out a deep sigh and shifted uncomfortably. "Caitlyn was born at 23 and 5," he told Jack slowly, watching the man's features darken. "Ellie and I had a bit of a rough time with it," he admitted.

"Oh god," Jack lowered his eyes to the ground, his club still balanced in his right hand.

"Yeah," Aaron had trouble masking the emotion from his face. "Got pretty damn lucky though," his voice cracked. "Long hospital stay, but everything's good now."

Jack nodded.

Aaron cracked a smile. "Thankfully, I've gotten really good at doing most of my procedures one-handed now. That took practice. Almost put my fist through a few more windows in the process." He tried to joke. Jack didn't see the humour in his words from the look he was giving his adult nephew.

"So, there's no new fancy surgery to ligate flexor digitorum profundus back together?" Jack asked him, curious.

Aaron shrugged. "Not that I'm aware of. Again, I kind of missed the boat on any surgical intervention when I didn't get it looked at right away." He resumed his golf stance to line up another swing. "Not for your lack of trying though," he added as an afterthought. "Medicine has come a long way with a lot of things, but the hand surgeons dropped the ball on figuring out that one." He winced as his own ball sailed off his intended trajectory. His eyes narrowing as Jack sent one flying just to show off. If it were his Jack, Aaron would have easily told him to 'be nice to the cripple,' but he wasn't sure how the man would react to their typical banter.

"Targeted hyper-reinnervation nerve transfer for mid to lower cord injuries is a thing now." He said instead, catching Jack's attention.

"We can dissect out some of the peripherals and re-route them in a series fashion so that patients can gain at least some motor function back," he smirked as Jack's eyes widened.

"But how do you mobilize the axons and bypass the damaged tissue?

"People way smarter than me deal with that." Aaron laughed. "From what I do know, it's an eight-hour micro-dissection of select peripheral nerves that are grafted onto damaged cord and stimulated millimeter by millimeter until you get the desired electrophysical response. Long, tedious surgery. I know people who preform them and they do not look like happy campers on those OR days," Aaron teased. Claire did the procedure on Tuesdays.

"But you can _re-wire_ spinal cord," Jack replied, astonished.

Aaron quirked an eyebrow. "You do realize that there's more to medicine than the _excruciatingly_ boring task of cutting into people's backs, right?" He had gotten Jack into a decent enough mood to tease him a little bit.

"Excruciatingly boring? Come on, Aaron, I couldn't entice you?" Even if Jack didn't quite realize it yet, a part of him had worked out that he may have been the inspiration for Aaron choosing to become a physician.

Aaron laughed. He turned around and opened his golf bag. He retrieved two bottles of water.

"Well, you sure as hell tried. Unfortunately, my six-year-old has a longer attention span than I do." He handed a bottle to Jack, who was damp with sweat from the minimal exertion. Jack was too distracted to notice.

"Besides, general surgery is fun."

Jack raised a skeptical eyebrow and twisted the cap off the water bottle. "You like standing around in poop, do you?"

Aaron shrugged. "Doesn't bother me in the slightest. I can also do at least six lap choles in the time it takes for you guys to do one spinal decompression," he smirked. "We timed it once." Aaron didn't tell him that he had intentionally done so on a day which Jack and Claire were operating together.

Jack stared at him.

"Okay, well _I_ timed it," he relented. "And then went into the OR to tell you about it as I was leaving to go golf." The smile on his face fell as Jack tensed up and backed up a few steps.

Aaron watched him take a long sip of water and turn to stare off in the distance. The sun was bright and light breath ruffled his hair, yet somehow morose mood he had been in returned at full force.

"Jack," Aaron sighed. "Talk to me."

"I don't have a job to go back to." He spoke flatly, almost emotionlessly. "I screwed everything up."

Aaron had no idea if Jack remembered their earlier conversation, or simply chose not to. It was the day he had woken up and Aaron had injected him a hefty dose of diazepam while sitting in his car, in the middle of a Starbucks parking lot, trying to prevent a withdrawal seizure. It had knocked him out for most of the day. It was possible that Jack didn't remember their discussion about working together.

Aaron scratched his chin. "Who's Chief of Surgery in 2007 anyway?"

Jack frowned, knowing he had met the man. The weeks before he came back to the island were shrouded in a veil of alcohol and narcotics. His memories were hazy at best:

" _So, the obvious question here, Jack, is how did you get to that flaming car so fast? What were you doing on that bridge?"_

" _Do you know how many years I've worked at this hospital? Do you know anything about me? Do you have any idea what I've been through?"_

" _How much have you had to drink today, Jack?"_

" _OK, I'll tell you what, you do this. You get my father down here, get him down here right now, and if I'm drunker than he is, you can fire me! … Don't you look at me like that. Don't you…pity me."_

" _I'm trying to help you."_

" _YOU CAN'T HELP ME!"_

Jack's anxiety rose. He had somehow managed to fuck up something else in his life.

"Jack?" Aaron examined his vacant expression. He watched him confused, trying to understand. When the man refused to respond, Aaron decided to picked up his club and resumed launching balls down the green. Jack eventually did the same.

"I'm still a surgeon here?" He eventually asked, breaking the stretch of silence that had fallen between them.

"Jack, you're the _Chief of Surgery_ here," Aaron grinned. "So, stop worrying and concentrate on kicking my ass at golf."

"Well, that doesn't really require concentration," Jack retorted, earning a smirk from Aaron.


	16. Agent Sam Shephard

**Five Minutes to Midnight**

**SIXTEEN: Agent Sam Shephard**

Claire explained the rest of Juliet's injuries. Her departure was met with a long stretch of silence. Sawyer lay on the bed with Juliet curled against his chest. Her eyes were closed and she was pretending to be asleep. He knew she was faking it. They had played this game far too often back in their little one-bedroom house in Dharmaville. She had her tells: irregular breathing and too much muscle tension to be asleep. It was always an exercise of who would cave first. He sighed, willing to take one for the team.

"Relationships are about trust, Blondie. Didn't ya trust me?" He waited, watching her chest rise and fall, breathing in and out, in and out, then it stuttered slightly. _Alright, so at least she was listening._

Sawyer ran his hand along his face, rubbing his eyes with the pads of his fingers. "Juliet, I almost lost you." His voice cracked. "I almost fuckin' lost you. Do you have any idea what that was like? Seeing you laying there with a breathing tube shoved down your throat unable to talk to me?"

He shuddered and she must have felt it. "I thought you were going to _die_."

She flinched at his words. He felt her toes curl against his leg.

"Don't ya understand?" He let out a deep, ragged breath. He was having trouble reining in his own emotions. His mind grappled with almost losing, not one, but two lives. Two lives that she was willing to throw away. Because she was scared? She was jealous? She didn't trust him? Didn't their relationship mean more to her than that?

Still nothing.

"Ain't gonna talk ta me, huh?" Sawyer whispered, stating the obvious. She tried to turn to roll away from him. He reached to stop her and felt her muscles tense. "That's okay," he said, in as calm a voice as he could manage. "Yer allowed to be mad, and confused…and afraid. I'm all those things too. You don't gotta be brave right now. Ya don't gotta shut me out."

Something in her body language shifted, a slight give that was almost imperceptible. She turned her neck so that she was facing away from him. There was a tiny window with the vases of sunflowers decorating its ledge. She frowned at them but stayed against his chest as he brought his hand up rub her back. It felt nice. Her muscles betrayed her, relaxing under his motions.

"Juliet, you know me better than anyone else ever has and that ain't because ya read my file. Ya made me stop hiding and ya taught me how to love someone for the long haul…and that, well, that's something I ain't ever experienced before." Sawyer paused to lick his lips, noting how dry his throat was. He brought the hand that wasn't rubbing Juliet's back to his face.

"Juliet…" he started, closed his eyes, and tried again. "You know what…" he shook his head in frustration. "I'm just gonna come out and say it because I know yer not feelin' well and them damn pregnancy hormones got ya all addled." He felt her stiffen.

"Juliet, I. Love. You." Sawyer paused to make sure she heard him. "I love you and I know yer like me and pretty damn used to gettin' left behind. That's why we gotta have each other's back. And I know I scared ya with that look I gave to Kate, but it didn't mean a damn thing. I ain't interested in Kate, no more than you are in Jack. Oh, and spoiler alert, I've met the old version here in 2040 and ya ain't missing much."

He couldn't see her face but viewed it as a good sign that she was still content to lay against him, even though she wouldn't look at him. Sawyer sighed and tried a different tactic.

"Remember that squeaky floorboard in our bedroom?"

His words were so unexpected that she turned her head toward him to stare at him incredulously.

"Humour me," his tone was serious.

Juliet sighed. "Yes, James, I remember that squeaky floor board. I asked you to fix it half a dozen times."

"Yeah, well. There's a reason I never did." He shifted uncomfortably on the bed.

Her gaze pierced through him. At least she was looking at him now.

"I hid something there." He admitted.

She continued to stare.

He swallowed and shook his head. "I had a ring for you Juliet…hidden there. I just hadn't figured how ta give it to ya yet. I wanted it to be special," he mumbled as an afterthought, before his frustration got the better of him. "Dammit, Blondie, that's how serious I am! _I love you!_ That means I want everything, marriage, a kid if you want one…I mean I had no idea we got a jump on that." He was going to be a Dad and he wasn't going to fuck it up this time. He loved Juliet too damn much.

Sawyer could feel her wet tears soaking his shirt. He slid his hand from her back to the top of her head, stroking her hair.

"I love you," he reminded her again. "Next time we have a fight and ya decide to do something crazy like help Jackass detonate a hydrogen bomb, promise you'll come talk ta me first?" He tried to joke, but his voice was warbling and he had trouble getting the words out. He took a breath and regained his composure. "I know I ain't yer first and you've had some pretty crappy experiences in the past, but ya need ta know you can talk to me about anything. We're a team. You can't be holdin' out secrets, especially big ones like this. Don't do that to me again."

Juliet half-laughed, half-sobbed in response. "I'm sorry," she managed, weakly.

He nodded. "Yeah I'm sorry too. Ya still got my back, Blondie? Cause I got yers." He tilted her chin toward him, searching her eyes. They had filled with unshed tears.

"Yes, James." She sniffled. "I still got your back."

He smirked. "Good. Cause otherwise it's gonna be a long nine months. Someone's gotta be around ta take of ya, and give ya back rubs, and get you weird food when you have cravings in the middle of the night."

"You really are okay with this?" she wondered. He could hear the insecurity creeping back into her tone.

Sawyer tightened his hold on her. "Juliet, I couldn't be prouder to be havin' a kid with you." He rested his chin on the top of her head and watched her. "I hope it looks like you…and has your brains."

She looked at him groggily. "My luck, it'll be all you," she slurred.

He could already tell she was drifting and fighting it. He started to rub her back again, waiting for her eyes dip shut.

"You get some rest, Blondie. I'll be here when you wake up," he whispered. "I ain't goin' nowhere."

* * *

The Backbone was a 67-mile trail that arced across the heart of the Santa Monica Mountains. It boasted one of the best protected stretches of California coastline in the world and offered a diverse expanse of terrain from its deep-wooded canyons to ocean vistas.

Kate had first read about it in a travel magazine that had gotten mixed up Jack's mail one afternoon. She made a mental note to plan a daytrip with him. Of course, that had never happened and the magazine was left to collect dust under a book that Jack been reading, but never finished.

It was Ellie's idea for her to get some "fresh air." The woman had found Kate in the spare bedroom. She was curled in the middle of the bed on her side, desperately trying not to break down.

" _It's a beautiful day and Aaron is going to spend some time with Jack." Ellie had explained. "I have to head into the office for work, but if there's anywhere that you wanted to go in the meantime."_

The Backbone trail was the first place that came to Kate's mind. Ellie was right, it was a nice day and Kate needed to get out of the house. She had a lot weighing on her on her mind and heart. Being outside and hiking was like a "religion" to her Dad, Sam. She found it to be relaxing as well. She thanked Ellie and took off in search of the trail head when she was dropped off. She had a small backpack with a bottle of water and planned to meet Ellie at 7 o'clock for pickup.

Kate thought of little Aaron. He loved hiking in his big boy hiking boots. They didn't get far when they visited the state park. He liked to pick up leaves and rocks in wonder and show her. She always ended up emptying out his pockets at night before putting his pants in the hamper. She didn't throw away any his finds. She put them in a plastic jar with a lid they kept in his room for his "collection." A few tears fell. She missed her little guy. She liked seeing how Aaron turned out, but didn't want to miss out on another minute with him. She ached to go home, hold him and cover his little cheeks with kisses. It always made him giggle.

She also thought about Jack. _Jack_. She sighed at the thought of him, wishing she hadn't broken down in front of him. She didn't want to hurt him. He was already struggling with guilt. He felt so distant on the island. She really did feel like he wanted to erase her from his life. He was so committed. He looked at her with those sad, brown eyes and asked if she was with him. He wanted to drop the bomb and needed her support and validation. She couldn't say no. She was willing to support him. He thought nothing ever felt so right in his life. She sniffed and wiped her eyes briefly. "I guess that included us."

Her heart ached. She didn't understand. She felt connected to him, tied to him in an indescribable way. He was _it_ for her. She loved him, wanted to marry him and was so happy when he proposed. He was her happy-ever-after, even if they argued. Making up was the best. She couldn't see her life without him. There was a place in her heart only he could fill.

If he didn't love her that way, she'd just learn to live with it. She wouldn't hold him back or bring it up again. He felt guilty about so many things, things she wished he would share with her and let go of. She wasn't going to add on to the pile. She had a lifetime of not being loved starting with her own family. Maybe it wasn't in the cards for her. If not, she'd still love him. That would never change.

The trail provided a picturesque view of the wide expanse of shoreline that stretched out into the Pacific Ocean. It was beautiful, but as she sunk deeper in her thoughts, she became more oblivious to her surroundings and the dark, foreboding clouds that loomed in the distance. They were headed her way.

It started with large rain drops dotting the dirt in front of her and quickly turned into heavy rain. It was hard to see more than 20 yards or so ahead. It came down in sheets. She had crossed several foothills and hiked up a mountain range and beyond. She didn't know how far she had come, but understood she had a long walk back. The return hike wasn't under a canopy of trees. She would be exposed most of the way to the elements. The dirt and sand that packed the trail changed to thick mud that quickly became slippery, even in hiking boots. She turned around and slowly made her way back, trying to keep her feet under her.

It was the bone-chilling, torrential rain at the beginning of hour four that broke her resolve. It hadn't taken long for it to soak through the thin windbreaker and jeans she was wearing and made her skin prickle with goosebumps. She inched forward at a blind, staggering pace. She no longer recognized her surroundings and afternoon light was waning.

At some point, she must have slipped because the next thing Kate knew she was on her side with her legs sticking off at awkward angles. She didn't know how much time had passed. Had she knocked herself out? Her vision was fading dangerously in and out of focus and her teeth were chattering. She couldn't remember a time in her life when she had ever been so cold. Her entire body shook violently.

It wasn't raining as hard, but evening arrived blanketing her in darkness. It was hard to identify her surroundings. She could feel rather than see that she was laying in mud at the base of what appeared to be a very steep cliff that she had apparently tumbled over.

Something shifted in the distance. She caught a sense of movement before she saw it, a lithe, shaggy thing that was edging closer at a gentle lope. She squinted at it and tried to muster the energy to pull herself backwards against the rock face. She couldn't stand. Her legs didn't want to cooperate. Kate winced feeling the dampness of the ground through her already soaking jeans. It made her thighs burn from the cold.

The creature inched closer, pausing to look at her in the dull half-light. It was twice as big as it had looked from a distance and a hundred times more intimidating. Long and broad in the chest with a deeply descending ribcage and a sloping back. Alarm bells sounded in her head, but there was little she could do.

Fearful, Kate tried to draw her right leg in under her to push herself to her feet, but she could barely flex her ankle to plant it on the ground. As she tried, she yelped. The creature stopped its advance and stared at her. It cocked its thick neck giving her a better view of its wide head and long, blunt muzzle. Kate felt her stomach drop as she caught a glimpse of a long row of bone-white teeth.

This was it. She was going to die out here. She wasn't going to see Aaron again. She wasn't going to see Jack. She would never be able to tell either of them how much she loved them and she knew that Jack was going to blame himself for all of this. Her death would probably push him back into a drunken stupor.

Kate closed her eyes no longer sure if she was paralyzed with fear or simply too numb from the cold to try and stand again. She was too tired and her ankle hurt too much. She closed her eyes. At least she did not have to watch the damn thing come at her. She waited, bracing herself for the moment when she could feel the creature's hot breath on the back of her neck. It would be right before its slathering jaws crushed her trachea. She would die quickly.

 _I'm sorry, Jack._ She thought frantically. _So, sorry._

Her heart thudded against her ribcage as she waited. Nothing happened. She blinked once, twice, three times before she realized that she could only see the dull, dark shadows of the tree line in the distance.

Her spirits lifted until she heard a ghostly "Ahwoooooooo" that made her skin crawl. _Wolves_. Wolves hunted in packs. It was calling its friends.

"Okay, Koda. Good girl! Show me!" A male voice echoed in the darkness. It was followed by a guttural "Woo-woo-woo" that sounded distinctively less wolf-like.

Before she could regain her focus the creature in question had bounded over to her, its tongue lolling out of its half-opened mouth as it sniffed her.

"Hey there," she croaked as Koda, the oversized Alaskan Malamute, nudged her with her muzzle, fully expecting an ear scratch. When Kate didn't seem to understand what she wanted the dog chuffed and laid down next to her, waiting.

Kate started at the dog, bewildered, but thankful for the extra body heat. "What are you doing all the way out here?" she asked weakly.

"That's my girl! Good job!"

Koda's ears twitched, her tail flicking against the muddy ground at the sound of her owner's voice. Her body wiggled excitedly, but her training told her that she was "working" and that her owner would want her to stay put.

"Not the best weather for a hike." The voice addressed Kate. She could see that it was attached to a tall, lanky frame. She blinked as the image became clearer.

"Jack?" She asked weakly, in a faint, slurred way. She was drowsy and cold. It was becoming hard to form words. Her eyes closed for a moment and when she opened them "Jack" was leaning over her, his green eyes watching her with an air of concern. His brown hair was buzzed short to his scalp and he was wearing a rust colored Arc'teryx rain jacket and a black baseball cap.

"Not quite." Sam smiled down at her as he slid the straps of his day pack from his shoulders. He rummaged through it and pulled out a thick multi-fiber emergency blanket, which he wrapped around her.

"Easy now," he soothed. Kate shifted restlessly against the abrasive fabric. "Stay close to Koda. She'll keep you warm until I can get a fire started. You're soaking wet and it's a cold out tonight." He patted the dog's head and her tail wagged.

Kate couldn't have moved even if she had wanted to. Her limbs were too heavy and Jack seemed to want her to stay where she was. She reclined against the rock face.

"Looks like you did a number on that ankle," He remarked, shining the beam of his flashlight along her injured leg.

Kate watched him drowsily.

"Do you have any feeling in it?" Sam dropped to his knees to check her over. She could feel his warm hands against her ice-cold skin and winced when he prodded a particularly painful spot.

"Sorry 'bout that. I just need to see where yer hurt." There didn't seem to be any step-defects in her bones, but he didn't like the purple cast that was already starting to form along her talofibular joint line. He gently manipulated her right leg so that it was elevated on his pack.

"Does anything else hurt?" He asked. Opening her heavy eyes again, Kate squinted at him in delirious confusion. She was too tired and didn't want him to play doctor. She wanted him to hold her, and come home with her, and forget about this whole god damn mess.

"Kate," Sam shook her slightly. "I need you to stay awake, okay? I know you are cold, but we're going to get ya nice and toasty in just a sec."

She swatted at him weakly. Couldn't they just sleep now and work this out later? "Stop it, Jack," she muttered.

"Okay, that's good." Sam told her easily. He was nonplussed that she seemed to have mistaken him for his Father. "You can be as pissed off with me as you want. Just keep talking to me."

He continued to explain what he was doing as he checked for further injuries. When he found none, he fished some heat packs out of his jacket pocket and cracked them to activate the chemical inside.

"This should help," he told her and peeled back the blanket to tuck a packet under each arm pit. He pressed two more into her clenched fists before taking off his leather gloves and slid them onto her small hands.

By the time Sam had built a fire, Kate was dozing again. She could smell the smoke and was dimly aware that something was happening. There were hands under her head, then her shoulders, easing her back against something much warmer than the rock face. She tried to move and help but Jack hushed her and urged her to stay put. She was happy to comply and sighed. He finally understood that she wanted him to hold her. She couldn't remember the last time he had. The night they left for the island? He hadn't really held her since he had changed. She relaxed against his warm chest, glad that he had stopped trying to get her to cooperate. She didn't want doctor Jack now. She wanted the Jack who would sleep in with her on weekends, the one who would tease her, and read stories to Aaron. She wanted _her_ Jack.

Kate groaned when he started talking again, but his words didn't seem to be directed at her. She could feel how his chest rumbled as he spoke. She racked her mind trying to remember if he was on call at the hospital tonight.

"Hey, it's Shep…Yeah I got her… No. Tell them not to worry…. She's cold and a little banged up but nothing too bad…. Okay good…What's the ETA on that bird?… Excellent! See ya soon!"

Kate frowned. Since when did Jack refer to himself as "Shep?" Dr. Shephard sometimes, but _never_ "Shep."

She opened her eyes and glanced lazily up at him. Jack's eyes were brown not green and he didn't have that scar on the left side of his neck. Her heart started to beat a little faster.

"It's alright, Kate." Sam told her, recognizing the exact moment when it dawned on her that he was not Jack.

The muscles in her back tensed and she struggled to get away from him. He simply tightened his grip and held her in place. "We need to keep you warm. I'm not gonna hurt you. I promise."

"How do you know my name?" She hissed and would have tried to knee him if she could get control of her damn ankle.

Sam released a deep baritone chuckle and grinned at her.

"Promise not to freak out?" He winked. "Cause seriously, Aaron's gonna kill me for not consulting him first."

Kate stared at him and relaxed slightly, ignoring the throb in her ankle. "You're friends with Aaron?" She asked, confused. The statement threw her for such a loop that she forgot she was trying to escape.

"You could say that…" Sam hedged. His tone was light and his eyes sparkled with something she couldn't quite identify at first. It became more obvious when he took off his baseball cap and shifted slightly so that the firelight illuminated his features. Somehow, she knew what he was going to say before he said it.

"He's my cousin." Sam told her gently and Kate studied his appearance. He looked so much like Jack, the man she met on the island, that it took her breath away.

"You're…" she managed in a hoarse broken whisper. "You're Jack's son?"

"Not just his." Sam laughed again and hugged her tighter against him. "Yours too," he said proudly. "Name's Sam. Although, you guys like to call me Samuel when yer pissed off with me." He paused then smirked. "Not that it happens very often."

"How…" Kate gasped. Her vision swimming with bewildered tears.

Sam rolled his eyes and patted her shoulder. "Er…do you really want me to get into the mechanics of it?" He teased, causing Kate to choke back a laugh of her own.

"Jack and I have a son," she tested the words, dumbfounded. She was warmer now and the news seemed to fill her with a renewed hope that her relationship with Jack wasn't as damaged as they both seemed to think.

"Oh, you don't know the half of it," Sam assured, shaking her from her thoughts.

Kate blinked up at him, studying his features. Most of them were distinctly Jack's: his hair, his nose, his cheekbones, but she recognized herself in those vivid green eyes.

"You okay?" Sam asked after a long moment. She had gone deathly quiet and could still see the tears leaking down her cheeks.

She offered him a small smile. "Yeah," she paused. "I just didn't expect that."

Koda whined and stood up, catching Sam's attention. She flicked her ears back and shifted nervously from paw to paw.

"Looks like our ride's here." He grinned and pointed upward. Kate could hear before she saw the black and gold Sikorsky S-70 helicopter racing toward them. It was starting to rain again and she thought she saw lightening crackle in the distance.

"I have no idea if that ankle is broken so I'm going to have to carry you," Sam told Kate. She nodded and didn't protest him bundling her into his arms. She was still miserably cold and didn't think she had the energy to walk even if he let her.

As the chopper approached Koda tucked her bushy tail between her legs and Sam reached to grab her by the collar so that she wouldn't bolt. It was raining heavier now, snuffing out the small fire Sam had made. The smoke it produced made Kate's eyes sting. She shivered against Sam as he jostled her in an attempt to control his dog.

"Koda doesn't like flying," he explained with a grunt as she twisted and tried to back away. "We jumped out of one of those when she was a pup, and she hasn't been a fan since."

"You jumped out of a helicopter?" Kate asked, incredulously.

Sam shrugged. "It's not as fun as jumping out of a C-17, but the altitude is lower and I wanted to keep things simple."

Their conversation was cut short due to the noise the object of discussion made as it landed.

Sam signaled for Koda to sit. Glaring at her for several seconds as she stubbornly contemplated backing away from the roaring piece of metal to her immediate left. Eventually she relented and whined, planting her bottom firmly on the ground.

"Good. Stay." Sam told her firmly as he shifted Kate in his arms and walked toward the chopper.

"Took ya long enough," he remarked teasingly to Jay over the thundering rotors.

Jay craned his neck back, twisting in the pilot seat. "For fuck sake, Paw Patrol. You try flying in this weather," he snorted. "Took 20 minutes just to get FAA clearance."

Sam ducked his head as he helped Kate to stretch her legs across the row of seats in the back of the cabin. He pulled an extra blanket from an emergency kit and tucked it around her.

"Keep that leg up," he instructed before he disappeared and returned a moment later dragging Koda by her collar. At approximately five feet from the door Koda dug in and refused to budge.

Sam sighed and lifted her in to the chopper with an eye roll. "Come on' ya scaredy cat," he huffed. "I've seen you chase down mountain lions that are scarier than this bucket of bolts."

"Oh look, it's 'bring-yer-pet-dire-wolf-to-work-day.'" Jay watched the dog scrabble along the cabin as soon as her feet touched the metal floor. She froze, more out of shock than anything else, as Sam shut the door and the helicopter started to gain height.

"Don't mind Jay," Sam yawned and took the seat beside her outstretched legs. "He's just grumpy."

"Jay?" Kate frowned and leaned forward to get a better glimpse of the pilot.

"Wait." Sam paused, scratching his chin. "How do you two not know each other? I thought you were there when they came through?"

Jay ignored him and pretended to be particularly interested in the flight controls.

"Oh-kay…" Sam drawled and dropped his hand back to his lap. He swallowed and watched Jay closely. All the color had drained from his face and his posture was rigid.

"Kate, this is my best friend and co-worker Special Agent Jay LaFleur," Sam said easily, smiling at the man. Jay sunk lower in his seat.

"You really didn't get the memo on this did ya, Einstein?" Jay ground out, turning his head to glare at Sam.

"'Fraid not," he shrugged.

"You're Sawyer's son!" Kate sputtered, interrupting whatever Sam was going to say.

Jay closed his eyes. "And Juliet's," he explained with a forced patience.

Kate continued to stare at him as though he was from another planet. It was hard to take note of the resemblance from vantage point, but if she closed her eyes she could practically hear Sawyer in his voice.

"That really so hard to believe?" Jay growled in annoyance after a few minutes. His back was to her but she could feel her gaze burning into his neck.

"No," Kate admitted. "I…I… just..." She smiled and shook her head. "It's nice to meet you, Jay."

"It's fucking weird." Jay supplied, earning a snort from Sam. "I was there when y'all decided to crash our little New Year's Eve party. Helluva time."

"Oh, come on, _language_ , Jay. And it doesn't explain why you guys didn't meet," Sam wondered. "From what Aaron told me you helped out quite a bit."

Jay grumbled something that Kate managed to comprehend as "Fuck off, Shephard." Sam rolled his eyes and dropped whatever he was going to say. He reached to scratch Koda behind the ears.

"See, grumpy." He smirked at Kate. "We still keep him around though," he said fondly.

"So, you guys are FBI agents?" Kate asked over the sound of the rotors. Her exhausted mind was doing its best to piece together what was happening.

"Something like that," Sam agreed. "More like government contractors. We're talking you back to our home base so one of our docs can have a look at you and get you warmed up. Aaron will meet us there."

Kate's eyes brightened at the sound of his name. She nodded and let her head rest against the seat cushion.

"How are you feeling?" Sam asked, watching her carefully. Her eyes were half-lidded and he could tell that she was doing the best to suppress the relentless shivers that were coursing through her tiny frame at full force.

She did her best offer him a watery smile. "I'm fine."

Sam cocked an eyebrow in disbelief. He frowned at her and moved to slip behind her so that she was once again resting against his chest.

"We'll be there soon," he assured. "You just rest now."

Jay cranked the heat on the controls and ten minutes later had the helicopter landed on the roof of one of the FBI's field offices.


	17. Just Another Friday

**ive Minutes to Midnight**

**SEVENTEEN: Just Another Friday**

Jack was quiet during the walk back to Aaron's car. Aaron had snuck a few sideways glances at him. He was trying to determine whether their game had done anything to improve the man's mood. At first, he was optimistic. He was sure that he had caught a hint of a smile when Jack was relaxed and focused on something other than his problems. Aaron suspected that was the crux of the issue. This younger version of Jack was driven, insecure, and needed to be depended on. That's why he thrived on the island. Jack liked being a leader, but he also had no mechanism for dealing with failure. Aaron knew Christian was in large part to blame for that. His Jack barely spoke about the man, but from what he did know: Christian demanded perfection and Jack never really learned how to lose.

As they entered the parking lot, Aaron reached into his pocket and flicked the 'unlock' button on his key. The tail lights to his black Mercedes S 560 flashed twice and he watched Jack walk around the car to the passenger side. He worried that Jack had slipped back into his own head—likely blaming himself for anything and everything.

Aaron sighed and threw the golf bag in the trunk. He shivered slightly. The sky was a dusty grey. There was enough of a breeze to shake the palms trees around them, a subtle warning of the rain to come. He sniffed the air. It was damp and slightly metallic.

"Looks like rain," he commented to Jack as he slid into the vehicle. "I didn't think it was supposed to rain today. Guess it's time to download a better weather app."

Jack gave a noncommittal shrug, which didn't sit well with Aaron's intended plan to explain to him what 'apps' were. Aaron didn't view it as a good sign that he was back to trying to spoon feed the man conversation— _so much for progress_. His vision snagged on the coarse tremor arcing up Jack's right hand. Jack was guiltily trying to hide it.

"I've still got some diazepam in my bag." Aaron offered.

"I'm fine, thanks." Jack spoke in a curt tone that didn't leave the subject open for discussion. They both knew that he was out of the critical period when it came to withdrawal seizures. Aaron just wanted to see if he could make the man more comfortable. He knew Jack's head was likely pounding and his muscles aching. Ellie had texted him at work to tell him that Jack had been throwing up this morning.

"It's Friday, Ellie's working late. You thinking pizza or Chinese for supper?" Aaron asked as he started the ignition and wondered if Jack had heard him.

" _You were willing to throw away me and our relationship and wipe everything out…You stopped caring about me…I went back to that damn island because I love you Jack!"_

Jack felt sick to his stomach. He fucked up. Kate loved him. Gave up Aaron for him, went back for him, risked her own life for him. He repaid her by trying to blow them all to hell with a hydrogen bomb. He was damn lucky that didn't happen. He wanted to fix things: the plane would never crash, everyone would get to live, he could get a proper second chance with Kate. They could start a life together without her having to deal with him being a drunken bastard. It didn't even cross his mind what effect it would have on her—prison. _Oh god_. She could have gotten the death penalty and it would have been all his god damn fault. He wouldn't even have known her…known what he _did_ to her. No wonder Kate thought he didn't love her. He had forced her to give up everything she cared about because he couldn't get his head out of his ass long enough to just man-up and talk to her. He had fucked up the best thing in his life and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.

Jack felt a cold chill ran down his spine.

"I guess I'll order a pizza than."

Jack blinked. _What?_

"For supper," Aaron clarified, sensing Jack's confusion. "I can order online from Dominos when we get back. Maybe Hawaiian and a Veggie for Kate? I'm starved."

Jack shifted irritably in his seat.

Aaron frowned. "You don't think? I'm pretty sure Kate prefers the Vegetarian."

"I need to talk to Kate," Jack said in a sharp tone.

Aaron flicked on his indicator to change lanes and steer the car onto the freeway. "That's good…" he hedged, glancing into the side mirror. He wasn't sure what was wrong with Jack. "She's ah…out right now."

"Out where?" Jack stared at him.

Aaron sighed. "Ellie thought she might want to get some fresh air. She dropped Kate off at one of the hiking trails on the way to work this afternoon."

" _Which_ hiking trail?" Jack pressed.

The slight hint of desperation in Jack's voice clued Aaron in. It was just Jack being overprotective. He grinned, Kate and Claire had the good fortune to bear the brunt of that personality trait growing up. Although, Aaron had required surgery several years back and Jack had been particularly unbearable to his medical team—of which the man was _not_ a part of. Dominic Roth, the cardiac surgeon, had made a name for himself by standing up to Jack when he became a little too involved in Aaron's care.

"Jack," Aaron rubbed the bridge of his nose. "It's gonna be okay. Just give her some time to cool down and get her thoughts together. You know how much Kate loves the outdoors and she's been cooped up all week. Ellie's gonna pick her up soon. We'll grab something to eat, then Ellie and I are gonna go out for the night. You two can have a nice evening alone and try to sort some things out. How does that sound?"

"Which hiking trail, Aaron?" Jack asked again. He had a bad feeling that he just couldn't seem to shake. Something was wrong. He just wasn't sure what it was yet.

Aaron's Bluetooth picked up an incoming call. He glanced at the display mounted on the dash.

"Good afternoon, El. Hope you are having a lovely Friday at the office." Aaron teased. "In order to remedy that, what do ya think of pizza and bowling tonight?

"Aaron," Ellie cut him off. Her voice was slightly muffled and had an edge to it that made Aaron uneasy. "I was supposed to pick Kate up at the start point for The Backbone Trail half an hour ago. She hasn't shown up yet."

"What do you mean Kate's missing?" Jack hissed before Aaron could respond. "Where is she?"

* * *

It was early evening when Juliet started to stir. The process was slow at first. She drifted up a few layers at a time. Whatever she had been dreaming about was fading fast, wisps of smoke that left her mind pleasantly empty and subdued in the cool darkness. She rolled onto her side and tried to bury her head under her pillow. It was solid and she barely managed to shift it. Her 'pillow' chuckled at her.

"Hey there, Sunshine."

Juliet cracked open her eyes to see James grinning down at her.

"Hey," she croaked. Her voice was thick from sleep and it took her a moment to get her bearings. The sterile smell alone was enough to remind her that they were no longer in their tiny bedroom in Dharmaville. The room was equally small, but where theirs possessed only furniture, this one contained a multitude of machines—half of which she couldn't identify. The gaudy pink curtains in front of the sliding glass doors were drawn tight, preventing her from seeing out into the hallway.

She sighed and tilted her neck to stare at James' chin. One of his arms had been haphazardly draped around her shoulder drawing her protectively to his side. He balanced a book across his chest.

"What are you reading?" She wondered.

" _The Martian_. Guy gets left behind on Mars…sounds real familiar," he told her dryly.

She shot him a skeptical look. "Yes, that's exactly the same. You shouldn't be reading without glasses. You'll strain your eyes and get one of headaches." Her voice was stronger than it had been.

He shifted uncomfortably. His vision had been fine ever since the damn Doc had gone on a fishing expedition in his brain.

Juliet blinked, confused. "What?"

Sawyer shook his head. "S'nothin'. How ya feelin', Blondie?"

She yawned. "Groggy," she admitted. Sawyer regarded her critically, taking in her disheveled appearance. He reached to comb his fingers through her hair. His fingertips caught in the tangles.

"We could wash this for ya if you want," he mumbled. "Or do ya need any more pain meds? Does the baby need anything? I could get you…"

"James…" Juliet cut him off with a tired smile. "I'm okay."

He stared intently into her eyes and could see the exhaustion weighing down her features.

"Really, I am." She tried to convince him. She looked back at him with as calm a gaze as she could muster, sensing that he didn't believe her for a second. She blew out a puff of air and readjusted her head on his chest, content to listen to the steady thrum of his heartbeat for a while.

She glanced at the book. The page was dog-eared about halfway through where he had left off. He had given her a lesson on book reading once, much to her amusement. He had his pet-peeves, or 'rules', as he liked to call them. The most important was to "never leave a chapter unfinished." It was worth it to spend the extra eight or nine minutes cluing things up. That way he never had to go back and re-read the end of something he would probably forget before reading ahead to the next chapter.

He was also incredibly particular on how the chapter was dog-eared. The fold always had to be less than three quarters of an inch and always on the right so it was likely to only crinkle the margin and none of the text on the other side. It was so ridiculous she loved to give him hell about it.

"They still have books here?" she wondered after a long moment. He was being intentionally quite to see if she would doze off again. He wanted her to rest.

Sawyer flicked the page he had finished and tilted his head. He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Yes, Blondie, books haven't gone extinct. No flyin' cars yet either."

"Damn." Juliet yawned and paused to stare at him. "Didn't you cut that?" She mumbled, reaching for his hair. She ran her hand down it and rested her palm on his cheek. His skin was warm. His stubble felt prickly against the pads of her fingers.

He shot her a confused look.

"No. You definitely told me you got tired of looking like a 'damn hippy.'" She told him definitively. "I remember that."

Sawyer was skeptical. "Well, if ya want me ta take the hint," he complained. "I suppose I can cut it."

Juliet shook her head, frowning. "You already did. I was sure you…" she trailed. Her mouth closed and she continued to stare. "You definitely did."

"It's probably just the happy meds they got you on," he offered. Sawyer remembered how confused and out of it he felt when he was under the influence of whatever the hell the Doc had slipped him after his surgery. It took him a couple of days to get over it.

Juliet seemed less certain. "Any chance of you bustin' me out of this joint?" She sighed.

His look was incredulous.

"No can do, just yet." A voice chuckled and Juliet could see the gaudy pink curtains sway as Claire pushed through them. She was pulling an ultrasound machine behind her. "How about some baby pictures instead?"

Juliet's expression brightened.

"I thought you might," Claire grinned. She raised her hand to Sawyer as he shifted to get up and give her some room to work.

"You're good there," she assured, smiling. He nodded and settled back down, his arm still securely wrapped around Juliet's shoulder.

"Aaron left early today because he's on call tonight. He figured you might wanna stick around so he's gonna run some stuff out to you later. I've got Chinese on the way for supper," she explained. "That work for you?"

"Yeah, thank you and thank Aaron for me."

Juliet shot him a confused look. "Aaron?" she questioned.

Sawyer nodded. "Aaron found us. You, me, Kate, and the Doc. Brought us back to his house. Kate and Jack raised him. Apparently, Claire was actually Jack's half-sister so Aaron's his nephew."

Claire grinned. "Yeah. He's also a doc. You'll get to meet him soon. The big goof is pretty much my brother, or at least, the more sensible one out of the two of them." She smirked. "Sam's just nuts."

"Sam?" Juliet was having a hard time following the conversation.

"My twin brother," Claire explained.

Sawyer rolled his eyes and snorted. "The Doc's brain may not be workin' right, but the rest of him sure as hell ain't havin' any trouble."

Claire flushed.

Juliet elbowed him in the ribs—hard.

"Son of a bitch! You're definitely feelin' better," he whined. He absently rubbed his side with his left hand.

"It's okay," Claire laughed. She had used that particular move on Jay more times than she could count. She held up the tube of ultrasound gel in her hands. "Mind laying back?"

Juliet nodded and shifted on the bed.

"You're more of an expert in this than I am," she confessed. "Feel free to chip in if there's something you'd like to see."

Claire angled the machine so that it was facing Juliet. She rolled the blanket back and the gown up to expose her abdomen and apply a generous amount of gel. Juliet was pleasantly surprised how warm it was.

"It's only took us fifty years to figure that trick out," Claire grinned. "You're almost 11 weeks so we'll start at symphysis pubis and get a bladder window." She landmarked with the probe in a longitudinal plane just above the juncture of Juliet's hips. Once she found the telltale endometrial stripe she tapped the screen to adjust her gain and depth parameters, enlarging the image. Claire fanned the probe slightly.

"How's that?" She shifted, allowing Juliet a better look at the screen. "There's a nice fetal heart." She tapped the screen again to activate doppler mode. Doppler allowed them to hear the characteristic lub-dub of blood flow across the baby's heart valves.

Sawyer stared at the image in awe. "Is it supposed to be goin' that fast?"

"Yes," Claire assured, smiling at him. "Heart rate is 160. Totally normal."

He nodded. "So…what is it?"

Juliet blinked and craned her neck to look at him. "It's a baby, James," she deadpanned.

"I know that, wise-ass." The corners of his mouth curled. "I mean, you two are at an advantage and it ain't fair. Is it a boy or a girl?" He drawled.

A boy, Claire thought, but she held her silence, watching Juliet squint at the grainy image on the screen. "Can't tell," she said after a long moment.

Juliet propped herself up on her elbows. Claire handed her probe. She manipulated it while studying the screen.

"Yer kidding," Sawyer complained. "Can't ya just tell it to open its legs so we can see?"

Juliet blew out an exasperated breath, "No, James. I can't." She arced an eyebrow at him. "Can you?"

He huffed and continued watching the screen. "It looks good though right? All its parts are there?"

Claire let out a dusty chuckle, beaming at him. She grinned at Juliet. "You're going to have a fun 29 weeks with this one. He's gonna be a great dad."

Sawyer's face went ashen. Juliet sensed the change in him and handed the probe back to Claire. She reached for his hand to squeeze it. "Yeah," she sniffed, convincing herself it was a combination of the drugs and the hormones that were making her eyes puffy. "He is."

Sawyer glanced down at her, planting a kiss on the top of her head.

"Everything looks good, guys." Claire assured as she printed them a photo. Sawyer had trouble controlling the slight tremor coursing up his wrist as he accepted it.

"This one's going to be a cutie, I just know it!" She grabbed a towel to wipe the ultrasound gel off Juliet's abdomen. "How are you feeling, otherwise?"

"I've felt better," she admitted.

"I'll bet," Claire agreed. "Need anything for pain?"

Juliet shook her head. "No, I'm good."

"Careful Doc, she's stubborn," Sawyer warned, earning a glare.

Claire laughed and pulled the wool blankets across Juliet's shoulders. "I'm sure she is," she agreed. "No offense Juliet, but it's kind of a trait of the profession. I've heard the infamous appendix story, so I'm sure you know what Dad is like. Aaron's just as bad."

Juliet snorted and shook her head. "Really, I'm fine. Just a little fuzzy."

Claire nodded appreciatively. "Yeah. That'll wear off soon. I gave you a very small dose of midazolam and fentanyl when I was taking out your chest tube. You need to tell somebody if you're in pain, okay? We've got a few more drug options in pregnancy than you're probably used to. We need to keep the little one happy." She barely stifled a yawn, bringing her hand to her mouth, as she finished her sentence.

"You ever go home, Doc?" Sawyer asked, noting the dark circles around her eyes.

Claire sighed. "Shortly," she admitted. "Today was a bit of a longer OR day than usual. Car's in the shop. My fiancé is on the way to pick me up."

Sawyer's eyes brightened with interest. "Fiancé, huh? I'm sure the Doc handled that one well."

Juliet rolled her eyes. "What he means is congratulations."

Claire's eyes sparkled. "It's alright. He asked first so Dad didn't kill him outright." She shook her head. "Though, I suppose there's still time before the wedding. Thankfully, Dad's gotten much better than he was. High school was the worst for dating."

Sawyer was extremely amused. "What, he follow 'em around or something?"

"Worse." Claire sighed. "He tried to get my senior prom date to provide him with a urine drug screen and a criminal record check."

"Yer not serious," Sawyer chortled. Juliet cracked a grin.

"Dead serious." Claire's tone held an air of exasperation. "Let's just say I gave up bringing boys home after that because Dad could be a little _too_ intense."

"That sounds very much like Jack." Juliet laughed. "This guy must be something special if he managed to earn Jack's approval."

"Yeah," Claire admitted with a knowing smile. "He really is."

The iPhone in the breast pocket of her scrubs buzzed once. She stared down at it. "That's him now." She explained. "I'll come back in a few with some Chinese food for Sawyer and Aaron sent in some soup for you, Juliet. If you are up for trying some?"

They thanked her and she made her way to the ICU waiting room. Jay was sitting in one of the hard, plastic chairs in his black leather jacket, a dark blue dress shirt and jeans. He had a takeout bag balanced on his knee.

"Sparks," he greeted and stood. He set the takeout bag on the chair, freeing his hands to hug her.

"Hey you," she settled into his embrace and rested her chin on his shoulder with a deep sigh.

"Long day?"

Claire closed her eyes, savoring the contact. "Yeah," she yawned. "The morning cases ran late, the C-arm stopped working half way through my one o'clock, and for some reason, the maintenance team were short staffed. It took forever to get the ORs cleaned in between cases. I'm just done with today." She kissed his cheek. "Yours any better?"

"Fantastic." He offered her a dimpled grin. He had left the hospital just after 5:30 a.m. once he was sure that Juliet would stay asleep. He called in to take the day off work. "Slept in, had a nice run around the lake with yer brother's pet wolf, put up that damn bird house you've been houndin' me about."

"I bought it six months ago," her tone was dry. "Did you put the bird seed in it?"

He shot her an exasperated look. "Yes, I put the damn seed in it," he muttered. He withdrew from the hug.

"Did ya give him the books?" He asked after a moment.

"Yeah, he really liked them."

"Course he did," Jay sighed. "They were his."

Claire smiled and reached up to cup his cheek.

"I know this is hard." She whispered. "But you need to remember how much they love you. Juliet's more with it today so we did an ultrasound. Your Dad was hilarious," she beamed and kissed the corner of his lips. He closed his eyes in response, leaning into her.

"He was so focused, wanted to know if everything was okay, if you were a boy or a girl." She laughed, watching the flush creep up the sides of his neck and behind his ears.

"Did ya tell them?" He wondered.

Claire shrugged. "Nah, you wouldn't open your legs for us to see." Her grin widened as he turned redder.

"But I did take this." She reached into her back pocket and held up a glossy photograph.

He stared at it. His eyes narrowed.

"Come on, it's your first baby picture. It's adorable." She teased, dangling the photo in front of his face. He snatched it and shoved it into his jeans pocket.

"It's fucked up," he growled.

His phone blared to life and he shot her one more disgruntled look before he answered it.

"What?" He snapped.

Claire watched his expression change as he listened to the voice on the other end.

"Yeah, she's here with me. We'll meet you there…yes, fine we'll bring the damn dog."

Claire blinked at him when he hung up.

"Drop that off," he pointed to the take-out bag on the chair. "Then we gotta go, Sparks."

* * *

Kate was barely awake when Sam scooped her into his arms and carried her down to the Med Bay on the main floor of the FBI's Central L.A. Field Office. Dr. Chase Tucker looked at him quizzically as he entered. He had been sitting at the desk with his head bent low over his iPad, scrolling through paperwork.

"Evening Tuck," Sam greeted and strode past the man to set Kate on the first of three empty stretchers that occupied the small, well-lit room.

Tucker set his iPad on the desk and stared at the younger man. "Should I ask?" He sighed.

"This is Kate. She's a 30-year-old female who ran into some trouble out hiking. The weather took a bad turn and she fell over an embankment. She's moderately hypothermic and a little drowsy, but we've been working on some passive re-warming. Right ankle is swollen and causing her some pain, but no other apparent injuries. Not sure if she hit her head." Sam explained.

Tucker nodded and reached to shake her shoulder. "Kate, my name is Dr. Chase Tucker. I'm gonna be taking care of you tonight. He said loudly. "Sam tells me you took a bit of a tumble."

Kate groaned. She was disoriented and tried to wriggle away from his touch. She wanted Jack.

"Whoa, yer okay." The voice above her assured. She blinked and next thing she knew the doctor had unzipped her jacket and was cutting away her jeans and t-shirt with a pair of trauma shares. It scared her badly enough to try and fight him, but he was relentless. Her legs were weak and something was keeping her shoulders firmly pinned to the bed.

"It's alright. He's just trying to get you out of those wet clothes." A voice next to her ear soothed _._

_Jack?_ She wondered and momentarily stopped her struggling to open her eyes. Sam's warm green ones gazed down at her.

"That's it," he said kindly. "You just focus on me and don't worry 'bout Tucker. We're going to get you all fixed up and Jack and Aaron are on their way."

Kate blinked. "Jack?" She asked hoarsely.

Sam offered her a patient smile. "I'm sure he's worried sick about you. You know what he's like."

_Right_. Kate remembered, studying his face. _Sam—not Jack_.

"Yer doing great," Sam distracted, watching Tucker cover her with a heavy blanket and motion to the other bed. Her wet clothes had soaked through the sheet on the cot, it was almost as damp as she was. Kate made a garbled sound of protest as Sam lifted her onto the next stretcher.

"Shhhh now, just relax." He hushed her and continued to whisper comforting words. She was exhausted and started to lose touch with what was happening around her. Eventually she slipped into a drowsy half-doze. She didn't even notice when she was hooked up to a cardiac monitor and dressed in a standard issue FBI t-shirt and gym pants. Tucker started an IV in the crook of her left elbow to run pre-warmed normal saline through before he x-rayed her right ankle. Sam re-adjusted the thermal blankets over her.

"This is the longest I've ever seen you stay put in the Med Bay." Tucker remarked to Sam as he watched the agent haul up a chair next to Kate's bed. "Patient included."

"You'll have to add it to the record books." Sam agreed, reclining with his legs propped against the empty gurney. He stretched and folded his arms behind his head.

The sound of his voice seemed to rouse Kate.

"Sam?" She asked, testing the name on her tongue. It had been years since she said it. Years since the man she had believed to be her biological father said goodbye and gave her a head start from the police. She remembered how they used to go hiking in the woods every Sunday. He had taught her to hunt, track, and fish. He had taught her how to survive. She wondered how different this "Sam" was from the man she had known. Would he be more like Jack and rush head-long into things, always requiring something to fix? Or would he be someone else entirely?

"Yeah?" Sam craned his neck toward her. She was still shivering, but seemed a little more alert.

"Thanks," she said hoarsely. She looked like she wanted to say something else, but refrained.

Tucker stood at the foot of the cot and shook his head in Sam's direction.

"What are you smirking about?" Sam asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

Tucker gave a dry chuckle. "Just reminiscing over the last time _you_ were in _that_ bed. You know, when ya got shot and we tried to hold you overnight?" He shook his head again and pointed. "And you climbed through _that_ air vent to escape."

Sam shrugged "didn't like the decor." He didn't like anything to do with hospitals, particularly when he was the patient, but Tucker didn't need to know that.

Kate looked at him with wide-eyes. "It was a tiny wound and everyone was just over-reacting," he dismissed to placate her.

"Didn't Jack once try to supervise his own appendectomy?" He countered, playfully. "I was just trying to get a few hours rest without all the bright lights and beeping."

"We found him passed out on the couch in his office," Tucker supplied. "He was easy enough to find. There was a trail of blood from the hallway all the way to the third floor."

Kate's mouth dropped open.

Sam shot Tucker a glare. "I'm sure we don't need to bore her with the details."

Tucker smirked again and resumed his spot at the desk, still watching Sam with an air of amusement. "So, how was Antarctica?"

"Cold." Sam sighed, unsure if it was possible for Kate's eyes to get any wider. The doctor seemed to take the hint and went back to his iPad.

"A buddy of mine works for the British Antarctic Survey and needed an extra set of hands to do some diving," Sam explained to Kate.

He lowered his voice. "That's why I missed out on all of last week's excitement."

Kate nodded and gave him a confused look. "You dive?"

"Yeah," Sam's eyes lit up. "Ice and drift diving mostly. I love it."

"How about you?"

Kate shook her head. "Never had the opportunity to try."

"You will," Sam assured.

"So you dive, jump out of planes, save people in the woods. Is there anything you don't do?" Kate wondered.

Sam laughed. "Well, I suck at musical instruments and don't ever ask me to cook anything you don't want burned." He returned easily. "Also, not great at sports. I'm more of a hunting and fishing kind of guy…and mountain climbing. I'm a big fan of mountaineering."

Sam caught something wistful in her expression. "What?"

She swallowed and shook her head slightly. "No…it's just you look like Jack," she said slowly.

"But, I'm nothing like him," Sam finished with a laugh. "Believe me, it's been pointed out. I take after you I'm afraid," he teased. "Annnd I don't have the tattoos…that would be Aaron."

Her eyebrows furrowed. " _Aaron_ ," she stressed. "Has tattoos?"

Sam grinned and nodded.

"Where?" she laughed.

Sam shook his head. "You'll have to ask him that," he winked.


End file.
